Roll of Honor
Incident
Captain Tommy Bernal was killed when his motorcycle was struck head-on by a vehicle while he was conducting a training exercise with several agencies near Front Royal, Virginia.
He was riding on Route 649, a winding and hilly country road, with members of Fairfax County and Arlington County motor squads. The unit in front of him lost control on a curve and swerved into an oncoming lane. A vehicle in that lane swerved into Captain Bernal's lane to avoid colliding with the unit and collided with Captain Bernal as he crested a hill.
Captain Bernal had served with the Fairfax County Police Department for 29 years.
Survivors
He is survived by his wife and three sons.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-VA-8E45E344- 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
29 years. You could have gone home.
Captain Bernal gave the Fairfax County Police Department 29 years. Still answering calls at the end.
Thank you for your service to the Fairfax community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Captain Bernal.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Captain Tommy F. Bernal 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 VA, 204 of 656 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 31.1% of this state's fallen. That is 31.1 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.
At Fairfax County Police Department, 3 of 8 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 37.5% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Tommy F. Bernal's cause is highlighted.
How Tommy F. Bernal Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Tommy F. Bernal is highlighted in Jun.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
7 officers from Fairfax County Police Department are honored on badge.nw.
