Roll of Honor

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Officer

Robert Joseph Coulter

California Highway Patrol — Sacramento, CA

Veteran → Accident

End of Watch November 2, 2003

Age 39

Tour of Duty 19 yrs

Badge 12941

The Vigil Panel 151 ›

Gender Male

Incident Service The Sacrifice Military Department 232

Incident

Officer Robert Coulter was accidentally shot and killed while placing his department-issued shotgun in the electronic shotgun rack of his patrol car.

The shotgun is normally positioned in a vertical position between the two front seats. It is believed the trigger was depressed when Officer Coulter positioned the shotgun in the lock. The incident occurred in the parking lot of the CHP's Weaverville station.

Officer Coulter's shift started at 6:00 a.m., and another officer discovered his body at approximately 9:30 a.m.

Officer Coulter was a United States Army Military Police veteran and had served with the California Highway Patrol for 14 years.

Survivors

He is survived by his wife, son, daughter, mother, and two sisters.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier: BO-US-CA-673B1F3C
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 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.
Officer Coulter gave the California Highway Patrol 19 years.
Thank you for your service to the people of California. Thank you for your service before it. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, brother.

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

Agency

Department California Highway Patrol

Type Highway Patrol

Location Sacramento, CA

Platform Identity chp.ca.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch November 2, 2003

Tour of Duty 19 yrs

Age 39

Badge Number 12941

Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Accident

Military Service

Robert Joseph Coulter served in the the United States military before joining law enforcement.

View full service record on salute.nw →

Officer Robert Joseph Coulter 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 CA, 719 of 1,837 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 39.1% of this state's fallen. That is 39.1 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

At California Highway Patrol, 151 of 233 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 64.8% of this agency's fallen.

California Highway Patrol

151

of 233 officers

64.8% Accident

CA — Statewide

719

of 1,837 officers

39.1% Accident

Nationwide

of 97,759 officers

0% Accident