Frank R. Dunbar

Illinois State Police — Springfield, IL

Veteran → Accident

End of Watch May 14, 1972

Age 37

Tour of Duty 15 yrs

The Vigil Panel 110 ›

Gender Male

Incident Service The Sacrifice Military Department 66

Incident

Trooper Frank Dunbar was killed in an automobile accident while patrolling Route 37, north of Benton. Trooper Dunbar was traveling south in his marked patrol car when a 19-year-old man began to pass another vehicle heading north. Just as he noticed Trooper Dunbar approaching, he tried to veer back into the northbound lane, but was unable to keep the car under control. The vehicle flipped end-over-end into the oncoming trooper. The top of Trooper Dunbar's squad car was completely sheered off by the rolling car. Trooper Dunbar died en route to the hospital. The other driver was charged with reckless homicide, reckless driving, and improper lane usage. Trooper Dunbar was the first trooper in 26 years to be killed in the line of duty, and the first to be killed in a patrol car accident in southern Illinois. He joined the Illinois State Police on October 28th, 1957, and was assigned to District 13 in DuQuoin. His wife and two children survive Trooper Dunbar.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier: BO-US-IL-9612D0D7
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.
Trooper Dunbar gave the Illinois State Police 15 years.
Thank you for your service to the people of Illinois. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Trooper Dunbar.

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

Agency

Department Illinois State Police

Type State Police

Location Springfield, IL

Platform Identity ilsp.il.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch May 14, 1972

Tour of Duty 15 yrs

Age 37

Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Accident

Military Service

Frank R. Dunbar served in the the United States military (1953â1961) before joining law enforcement.

View full service record on salute.nw →

Trooper Frank R. Dunbar 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 IL, 354 of 1,318 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 26.9% of this state's fallen. That is 26.9 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

At Illinois State Police, 49 of 67 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 73.1% of this agency's fallen.

Illinois State Police

of 67 officers

73.1% Accident

IL — Statewide

354

of 1,318 officers

26.9% Accident

Nationwide

of 97,772 officers

0% Accident