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Holly V. Holcomb
Agency patch
Superintendent

Holly V. Holcomb

Oregon State Police — Salem, OR
Veteran → Felonious
United States flag Oregon flag
End of Watch November 25, 1975
Age 58
Tour of Duty 36 yrs
The Vigil Panel 116 ›
Gender Male
Incident Service The Sacrifice Military Department 30

Incident

Superintendent Holly Holcomb was shot and killed in front of the Public Service Building in Salem, Oregon.

Superintendent Holcomb was confronted by a former member of the agency and shot.

The suspect was taken into custody, sentenced to life, but paroled after only nine years.

Superintendent Holcomb had been employed with the Oregon State Police for 36 years.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-OR-0E145A8A
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

36 years. You could have gone home.
Superintendent Holcomb gave the Oregon State Police 36 years. Still answering calls at the end.
Thank you for your service to the people of Oregon. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Superintendent Holcomb.

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

Agency

Department Oregon State Police
Type State Police
Location Salem, OR
Platform Identity osp.or.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch November 25, 1975
Tour of Duty 36 yrs
Age 58
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious
Weapon Gun

Military Service

Holly V. Holcomb served in the the United States military (1944–1946) before joining law enforcement.

View full service record on salute.nw →

Superintendent Holly V. Holcomb is one of 1 officers killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 0% of all 97,772 officers honored here.

In OR, 115 of 197 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 58.4% of this state's fallen. That is 58.4 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

At Oregon State Police, 16 of 31 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 51.6% of this agency's fallen.

Oregon State Police
16
of 31 officers
51.6% Felonious
OR — Statewide
115
of 197 officers
58.4% Felonious
Nationwide
1
of 97,772 officers
0% Felonious

National Cause Distribution

How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Holly V. Holcomb's cause is highlighted.

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

How Holly V. Holcomb Compares

Age at Death
58
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 39.0 years
Years of Service
36
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 8.4 years

When Felonious Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. Holly V. Holcomb is highlighted in Nov.

Jan
1,392
Feb
1,295
Mar
1,373
Apr
1,516
May
1,504
Jun
1,442
Jul
1,587
Aug
1,517
Sep
1,491
Oct
1,371
Nov
1,447
Dec
1,624

Weapons Used Against Officers

Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. Holly V. Holcomb was killed by gun.

Handgun
3,684
Gun
3,592
Gun; Unknown type
1,492
Shotgun
1,109
Rifle
935
Officer's handgun
909

Military Service

Holly V. Holcomb served in the United States military (1944–1946) before joining law enforcement.

Visit Holly V. Holcomb’s page on salute.nw →

His full service record — units, decorations, where he served — is kept on salute.nw.