Roll of Honor
Incident
Sergeant Rupert Shepherd was killed in a motorcycle accident while on routine patrol. As he rode his motorcycle across the streetcar tracks at 29th Street and University Avenue his tires got caught in the track grooves, throwing him off balance. As he tried to regain control he was thrown into a steel trolley pole. He later succumbed to his injuries. Sergeant Shepherd had served with the Des Moines Police Department for seven years.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-IA-E4B0C866- 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 never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Sergeant Shepherd gave the Des Moines Police Department 7 years.
Thank you for your service to the Des Moines community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Sergeant Shepherd.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Sergeant Rupert L. Shepherd is one of 10,088 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 31% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In IA, 71 of 226 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 31.4% of this state's fallen. That is 0.4 percentage points above the national rate of 31%.
At Des Moines Police Department, 7 of 27 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 25.9% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Rupert L. Shepherd's cause is highlighted.
How Rupert L. Shepherd Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Rupert L. Shepherd is highlighted in Aug.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
26 officers from Des Moines Police Department are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
