Roll of Honor
Incident
Patrolman Bybee and Sergeant Kieffer Burris drowned while practicing scuba diving at Lake Lotawana for an underwater recovery unit that the department was forming. At approximately 4 p.m., the two were spotted by a resident of the lake area and everything seemed alright. However, at approximately 5:30 p.m., one of the residents noticed Sergeant Burris floating face down in the water, and Patrolman Bybee's body was recovered a short time later. Patrolman Bybee's tank was empty but Sergeant Burris's still had air pressure, so the exact cause of this incident was not known. Patrolman Bybee had been with the agency for two years and served in the United States Navy for four years.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife and four children.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-MO-073F9A24- 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 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 Bybee gave the Kansas City Police Department 2 years.
Thank you for your service to the Kansas City community, and for your service before it. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, brother.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Military Service
Herbert E. Bybee served in the United States military before joining law enforcement. Full service record available on salute.nw.
Patrolman Herbert E. Bybee is one of 10,088 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 31% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In MO, 237 of 813 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 29.2% of this state's fallen. That is 1.8 percentage points below the national rate of 31%.
At Kansas City Police Department, 47 of 120 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 39.2% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Herbert E. Bybee's cause is highlighted.
How Herbert E. Bybee Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Herbert E. Bybee is highlighted in Jul.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
119 officers from Kansas City Police Department are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
