Douglas Edward Knutson
Agency patch
Officer

Douglas Edward Knutson

Accident
End of Watch January 2, 1998
Age 43
Tour of Duty 12 yrs
Badge 3818
The Vigil Panel 144 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Officer Douglas Knutson was killed after being struck by a vehicle while he was assisting a disabled motorist Loop 202, near the Scottsdale Road entrance ramp in Tempe. He was waiting next to his motorcycle when he was struck by the driver who crossed the white line of the entrance ramp to the freeway. He was transported to Maricopa County Hospital where he was pronounced dead. The motorist who struck him was detained and the freeway was closed for several hours after the incident. Officer Knutson had served with the Arizona Department of Public Safety for 12 years.

Survivors

He is survived by his wife, son, and daughter.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-AZ-A02F1A9D
Stewardship
Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
Added to badge.nw
August 2, 2026
Last updated
August 2, 2026

Honored here by 1 tribute.

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Tributes

I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Officer Knutson gave the Arizona Department of Public Safety 12 years.
Thank you for your service to the people of Arizona. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Officer Knutson.

— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993

Agency

Type Federal Agency
Location Phoenix, AZ
Platform Identity adps.az.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch January 2, 1998
Tour of Duty 12 yrs
Age 43
Badge Number 3818
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Accident

Officer Douglas Edward Knutson is one of 1 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 0% of all 97,772 officers honored here.

In AZ, 95 of 330 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 28.8% of this state's fallen. That is 28.8 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

At Arizona Department of Public Safety, 15 of 31 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 48.4% of this agency's fallen.

Arizona Department of Public Safety
15
of 31 officers
48.4% Accident
AZ — Statewide
95
of 330 officers
28.8% Accident
Nationwide
1
of 97,772 officers
0% Accident

National Cause Distribution

How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Douglas Edward Knutson's cause is highlighted.

Felonious
1 (0%)
Accident
1 (0%)
Illness
1 (0%)
Cardiac
1 (0%)
Undetermined
1 (0%)
Suicide
1 (0%)

How Douglas Edward Knutson Compares

Age at Death
43
This officer
Avg for Accident: 38.1 years
Years of Service
12
This officer
Avg for Accident: 9.1 years

When Accident Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Douglas Edward Knutson is highlighted in Jan.

Jan
820
Feb
730
Mar
748
Apr
708
May
848
Jun
797
Jul
899
Aug
938
Sep
913
Oct
925
Nov
872
Dec
897

Incident Location