Roll of Honor
Incident
Sergeant Frank McAteer suffered a fatal heart attack following a long struggle with a suspect. He and another local officer attempted to arrest the man for disorderly conduct. During the arrest, the man began to struggle, and it took five to ten minutes to subdue him. On the way to the jail, Sergeant McAteer began complaining of chest and leg pains but attributed it to the long struggle. While booking the prisoner in the jail, Sergeant McAteer suffered a massive heart attack and collapsed. He died the next day. Sergeant McAteer had served with the La Plata County Sheriff's Office for 4 years.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife and two daughters.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-CO-37D1E765- Stewardship
- Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
- Added to badge.nw
- April 2, 2026
- Last updated
- July 23, 2026
Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.
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Tributes
I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Sergeant McAteer gave the La Plata County Sheriff's Office 4 years.
Thank you for your service to the Durango community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Sergeant McAteer.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Sergeant Frank A. McAteer is one of 1,306 officers lost to cardiac events in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 4% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In CO, 11 of 360 officers were lost to cardiac events in the line of duty — 3.1% of this state's fallen. That is 0.9 percentage points below the national rate of 4%.
At La Plata County Sheriff's Office, 1 of 3 officers on record were lost to cardiac events in the line of duty — 33.3% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Cardiac compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Frank A. McAteer's cause is highlighted.
How Frank A. McAteer Compares
When Cardiac Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Cardiac deaths across the full memorial record. Frank A. McAteer is highlighted in Jul.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
2 officers from La Plata County Sheriff's Office are honored on badge.nw.
