Roll of Honor
Thomas Patrick Nipper
Incident
Senior Trooper Tom Nipper was killed in a vehicle crash while conducting a traffic stop on southbound I-35, near Midway Drive, in Temple.
He was sitting in his patrol car during the stop when it was struck from behind by a pickup truck. The impact caused the patrol car to strike the stopped vehicle and Trooper Nipper. He was transported to Baylor Scott & White Medical Center, where he succumbed to his injuries.
Trooper Nipper won numerous awards during his tenure, including the Field Major’s award for going beyond the call of duty to find and save the life of an abducted child.
Trooper Nipper had served with the Texas Highway Patrol for almost 35 years and served in law enforcement for 43 years. He had previously served with the Nolanville Police Department, Hereford Police Department, Coryell County Sheriff's Office, Belton Police Department, and Gainseville Police Department.
Survivors
He is survived by his wife and three children.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-TX-B952A25A- 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
43 years. You could have gone home.
Senior Trooper Nipper gave the Texas Department of Public Safety 43 years. Still answering calls at the end.
Thank you for your service to the people of Texas. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Senior Trooper Nipper.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Senior Trooper Thomas Patrick Nipper 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 TX, 653 of 2,421 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 27% of this state's fallen. That is 4 percentage points below the national rate of 31%.
At Texas Department of Public Safety - Texas Highway Patrol, 56 of 95 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 58.9% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Thomas Patrick Nipper's cause is highlighted.
How Thomas Patrick Nipper Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Thomas Patrick Nipper is highlighted in Nov.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
94 officers from Texas Department of Public Safety - Texas Highway Patrol are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
