Roll of Honor

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Officer

Robert Michael Dale

Atlanta Police Department — Atlanta, GA

Veteran → Veteran → Accident

End of Watch April 4, 1974

Age 25

Tour of Duty 3 yrs

Badge 2803

The Vigil Panel 113 ›

Gender Male

Incident Service The Sacrifice Military Department 87

Incident

Officer Robert Dale accidentally shot himself while serving a search warrant. Officer Dale who was normally on helicopter flight assignments, but due to bad weather, was assisting the fugitive squad. While serving a warrant to a man they thought was harboring a fugitive; he was leaning inside the opening with the 9 mm weapon in his right hand and his flashlight in his left when he bumped the hammer against the door jamb, causing it to discharge. The bullet hit him in the left side of the chest, fatally wounding him. The fugitive was found in another apartment, and five men were arrested for obstructing an officer. Officer Dale was a United States Army Vietnam War veteran and had served with the Atlanta Police Department for 3 years.

Survivors

He was survived by his wife, son, and daughter.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier: BO-US-GA-24605224
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. Army, salute.nw. One record, 3 gates. Robert 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.
Officer Dale gave the Atlanta Police Department 3 years.
Thank you for your service to the Atlanta 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

Department Atlanta Police Department

Type Police Department

Location Atlanta, Fulton County, GA

Platform Identity apd.fulton.ga.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch April 4, 1974

Tour of Duty 3 yrs

Age 25

Badge Number 2803

Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Accident

Military Service

Robert Michael Dale served in the U.S. Army (1970â1973) before joining law enforcement.

View full service record on salute.nw →

Officer Robert Michael Dale 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 GA, 264 of 904 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 29.2% of this state's fallen. That is 29.2 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

At Atlanta Police Department, 29 of 88 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 33% of this agency's fallen.

Atlanta Police Department

of 88 officers

33% Accident

GA — Statewide

264

of 904 officers

29.2% Accident

Nationwide

of 97,759 officers

0% Accident