Rudolph F. Howell
Agency patch
Deputy Sheriff

Rudolph F. Howell

Accident
End of Watch September 25, 1950
Age 52
Tour of Duty 3 yrs
The Vigil Panel 86 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Deputy Sheriff Rudolph Howell died from injuries he received several days before while chasing a suspect in Devils Lake, North Dakota. Deputy Howell saw the suspect enter a motor vehicle and attempted to stop him. The suspect began to run with Deputy Howell in pursuit. During the chase, Deputy Howell collapsed and hit his head on the pavement, fracturing his skull. The man he was pursuing was apprehended later in the day. He was sentenced to 30 days in jail and fined $7 for driving without a license. Deputy Howell had served with the Ramsey County Sheriff's Department for three years and had been a candidate for sheriff at the November 1950 election.

Survivors

He was survived by his wife and three children.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-ND-24C1C5DC
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.
Deputy Sheriff Howell gave the Ramsey County Sheriff's Department 3 years.
Thank you for your service to the Devils Lake community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Deputy Sheriff Howell.

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

Agency

Type Sheriff's Office
Location Devils Lake, Ramsey County, ND
Platform Identity rcso.ramsey.nd.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch September 25, 1950
Tour of Duty 3 yrs
Age 52
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Accident

Deputy Sheriff Rudolph F. Howell 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 ND, 15 of 61 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 24.6% of this state's fallen. That is 24.6 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

Ramsey County Sheriff's Department
1
of 1 officers
100% Accident
ND — Statewide
15
of 61 officers
24.6% 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. Rudolph F. Howell's cause is highlighted.

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

How Rudolph F. Howell Compares

Age at Death
52
This officer
Avg for Accident: 38.1 years
Years of Service
3
This officer
Avg for Accident: 9.1 years

When Accident Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Rudolph F. Howell is highlighted in Sep.

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

Others Who Wore This Badge

0 officers from Ramsey County Sheriff's Department are honored on badge.nw.