Roll of Honor
Incident
Police Officer Roger Hildreth suffered a fatal heart attack while running on a treadmill in the department's gym.
He had just completed responses to a burglary in progress call and a call involving two dogs loose in a neighborhood before collapsing.
Officer Hildreth was a U.S. Navy veteran and had served with the Des Moines Police Department for 18 years.
Survivors
He is survived by his wife and two children.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-IA-EB8CEEF1- 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.
Police Officer Hildreth gave the Des Moines Police Department 18 years.
Thank you for your service to the Des Moines community. 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
Service Record
Incident Details
Military Service
Roger Ray Hildreth served in the Navy (1978â1982) before joining law enforcement.
Police Officer Roger Ray Hildreth is one of 1,306 officers lost to cardiac events in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 4% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In IA, 11 of 226 officers were lost to cardiac events in the line of duty — 4.9% of this state's fallen. That is 0.9 percentage points above the national rate of 4%.
At Des Moines Police Department, 1 of 27 officers on record were lost to cardiac events in the line of duty — 3.7% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Cardiac compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Roger Ray Hildreth's cause is highlighted.
How Roger Ray Hildreth Compares
When Cardiac Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Cardiac deaths across the full memorial record. Roger Ray Hildreth is highlighted in Feb.
Others Who Wore This Badge
26 officers from Des Moines Police Department are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
