Thomas Wayne Birtrong
Police Officer

Thomas Wayne Birtrong

Austin Police Department — Austin, TX
Accident
End of Watch August 23, 1974
Age 29
Tour of Duty 9 yrs
The Vigil Panel 114 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Police Officer Birtrong was killed when his cruiser was struck by another vehicle at east 15th and Trinity Streets while he was responding to assist another officer. Officer Birtrong served with the Austin Police Department for two and previously served with the Del Rio Police Department for seven years.

Survivors

He is survived by his father.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-TX-123E342D
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.
Police Officer Birtrong gave the Austin Police Department 9 years.
Thank you for your service to the Austin community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Police Officer Birtrong.

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

Agency

Type Other
Location Austin, TX
Platform Identity apd.travis.tx.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch August 23, 1974
Tour of Duty 9 yrs
Age 29
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Accident

Police Officer Thomas Wayne Birtrong 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 TX, 657 of 2,422 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 27.1% of this state's fallen. That is 27.1 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

At Austin Police Department, 12 of 28 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 42.9% of this agency's fallen.

Austin Police Department
12
of 28 officers
42.9% Accident
TX — Statewide
657
of 2,422 officers
27.1% 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. Thomas Wayne Birtrong's cause is highlighted.

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

How Thomas Wayne Birtrong Compares

Age at Death
29
This officer
Avg for Accident: 38.1 years
Years of Service
9
This officer
Avg for Accident: 9.1 years

When Accident Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Thomas Wayne Birtrong is highlighted in Aug.

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