Harold Clarence DeGear

Iowa State Patrol — Des Moines, IA

Veteran → Accident

End of Watch February 19, 1954

Age 29

Tour of Duty 6 yrs 6 mo

Badge 60

The Vigil Panel 89 ›

Gender Male

Incident Service The Sacrifice Military Department 11

Incident

Patrolman Harold DeGear was killed when he was crushed between his patrol car and another car during a traffic stop on 6th Street SW near 20th Avenue SW in Cedar Rapids. As he wrote a ticket to the driver of the vehicle he had stopped another vehicle attempted to pass a truck and struck the rear the Trooper DeGear's patrol car. Patrolman DeGear was transported to a local hospital where he succumbed to his injuries the next day. Patrolman DeGear was a U.S. Marine Corps combat veteran of both WWII and the Korean War. He had served with the Iowa Highway Patrol for 6-1/2 years.

Survivors

He was survived by his wife and 2-year-old son.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier: BO-US-IA-CD9E8BFD
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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Also honored at salute.nw — U.S. Marine Corps. One record, 2 gates. Harold is one person.

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Tributes

I served 1985 to 1993. You served too, before the badge - different uniform, same idea. You go where you are sent and you do not get to pick the call.
Patrolman DeGear gave the Iowa State Patrol 6 years.
Thank you for your service to the people of Iowa, and for your service before it. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, brother.

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

Agency

Department Iowa State Patrol

Type Highway Patrol

Location Des Moines, IA

Platform Identity ihp.ia.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch February 19, 1954

Tour of Duty 6 yrs 6 mo

Age 29

Badge Number 60

Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Accident

Military Service

Harold Clarence DeGear served in the U.S. Marine Corps before joining law enforcement.

View full service record on salute.nw →

Patrolman Harold Clarence DeGear is one of 1 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 0% of all 97,759 officers honored here.

In IA, 71 of 226 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 31.4% of this state's fallen. That is 31.4 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

At Iowa State Patrol, 9 of 12 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 75% of this agency's fallen.

Iowa State Patrol

of 12 officers

75% Accident

IA — Statewide

of 226 officers

31.4% Accident

Nationwide

of 97,759 officers

0% Accident