Gary L. Byassee
Agency patch
Corporal

Gary L. Byassee

La Grande Police Department — La Grande, OR
Accident
End of Watch May 23, 1982
Age 30
Tour of Duty 8 yrs
The Vigil Panel 125 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Corporal Byassee died as a result of a leg injury sustained almost two months earlier during a training class in San Luis Obispo, California. After returning to Oregon from the training class he developed blood clots in his leg due to the injury. The blood clots travelled to his lungs causing severe health problems. He was taken to a specialty doctor in Seattle, Washington, but died before completing treatment. Corporal Byassee had been with the agency for six years and had previously served with the Union Police Department for two years.

Survivors

He was survived by his wife, two daughters, parents, siblings and grandmother.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-OR-E98412B3
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.
Corporal Byassee gave the La Grande Police Department 8 years.
Thank you for your service to the La Grande community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Corporal Byassee.

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

Agency

Type Police Department
Location La Grande, Union County, OR
Platform Identity lgpd.union.or.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch May 23, 1982
Tour of Duty 8 yrs
Age 30
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Accident

Corporal Gary L. Byassee 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 OR, 66 of 197 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 33.5% of this state's fallen. That is 33.5 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

La Grande Police Department
1
of 1 officers
100% Accident
OR — Statewide
66
of 197 officers
33.5% 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. Gary L. Byassee's cause is highlighted.

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

How Gary L. Byassee Compares

Age at Death
30
This officer
Avg for Accident: 38.1 years
Years of Service
8
This officer
Avg for Accident: 9.1 years

When Accident Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Gary L. Byassee is highlighted in May.

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

Others Who Wore This Badge

0 officers from La Grande Police Department are honored on badge.nw.