Stephen Michael Owens
Agency patch
Officer

Stephen Michael Owens

Portland Police Bureau — Portland, OR
Veteran → Accident
End of Watch September 23, 1973
Age 30
Tour of Duty 2 yrs
The Vigil Panel 112 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Officer Stephen Owens was killed in an automobile crash while during a vehicle pursuit on I-5. Another officer had attempted to stop a vehicle on city streets. The vehicle fled and led officers on a pursuit that eventually went onto I-5. The driver forced Officer Owens's patrol car into a concrete barrier as he and other officers attempted to box the man in. The subject's vehicle then went out of control and struck two other patrol cars before stopping. The man was taken into custody. Officer Owens was a U.S. Army veteran and had served with the Portland Police Bureau for two years.

Survivors

He was survived by his wife.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-OR-89760055
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. One record, 2 gates. Stephen 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 Owens gave the Portland Police Bureau 2 years.
Thank you for your service to the Portland 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

Type Police Department
Location Portland, OR
Platform Identity ppb.multnomah.or.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch September 23, 1973
Tour of Duty 2 yrs
Age 30
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Accident
Weapon Automobile

Military Service

Stephen Michael Owens served in the U.S. Army before joining law enforcement.

View full service record on salute.nw →

Officer Stephen Michael Owens 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 OR, 66 of 197 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 33.5% of this state's fallen. That is 33.5 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

At Portland Police Bureau, 16 of 31 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 51.6% of this agency's fallen.

Portland Police Bureau
16
of 31 officers
51.6% Accident
OR — Statewide
66
of 197 officers
33.5% Accident
Nationwide
1
of 97,759 officers
0% Accident

National Cause Distribution

How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Stephen Michael Owens's cause is highlighted.

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

How Stephen Michael Owens Compares

Age at Death
30
This officer
Avg for Accident: 38.1 years
Years of Service
2
This officer
Avg for Accident: 9.1 years

When Accident Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Stephen Michael Owens 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

Incident Location

Military Service

Stephen Michael Owens served in the U.S. Army before joining law enforcement.

Visit Stephen Michael Owens’s page on salute.nw →

His full service record — units, decorations, where he served — is kept on salute.nw.