Ralph Jarrell Rutherford
Agency patch
Traffic Officer

Ralph Jarrell Rutherford

Hereford Police Department — Hereford, TX
Accident
End of Watch March 29, 1927
The Vigil Panel 52 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Traffic Officer Ralph Rutherford was killed when his motorcycle struck another vehicle on East 3rd Street.

He was riding the same police motorcycle that would later be ridden by Officer Paul Jowell in another fatal accident.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-TX-125CC82D
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.
Traffic Officer Rutherford served with the Hereford Police Department.
Thank you for your service to the Hereford community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Traffic Officer Rutherford.

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

Agency

Type Police Department
Location Hereford, Deaf Smith County, TX
Platform Identity hpd.deafsmith.tx.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch March 29, 1927
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Accident

Traffic Officer Ralph Jarrell Rutherford 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 TX, 657 of 2,422 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 27.1% of this state's fallen. That is 27.1 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

At Hereford Police Department, 2 of 2 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 100% of this agency's fallen.

Hereford Police Department
2
of 2 officers
100% Accident
TX — Statewide
657
of 2,422 officers
27.1% 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. Ralph Jarrell Rutherford's cause is highlighted.

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

How Ralph Jarrell Rutherford Compares

When Accident Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Ralph Jarrell Rutherford is highlighted in Mar.

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

Incident Location

Others Who Wore This Badge

1 officer from Hereford Police Department are honored on badge.nw.