William Henry Bishop
Agency patch
Chief of Police

William Henry Bishop

Oakdale Police Department — Oakdale, LA
Felonious
End of Watch July 18, 1943
Age 50
Tour of Duty 21 yrs
The Vigil Panel 80 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Chief Bishop was shot and killed while attempting to arrest a man suspected of stealing war bonds. He was shot as he walked into a cafe where the man had been located. The suspect was a parolee from the California Department of Corrections. The suspect was convicted of murder and sentenced to death. In 1944 the Louisiana Supreme Court reversed the sentence. Chief Bishop was served 21 years as a law enforcement officer.

Survivors

He was survived by his wife, three daughters and two sons.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-LA-F06793BF
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

21 years. You could have gone home.
Chief of Police Bishop gave the Oakdale Police Department 21 years. Still answering calls at the end.
Thank you for your service to the Oakdale community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Chief of Police Bishop.

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

Agency

Type Police Department
Location Oakdale, Allen Parish, LA
Platform Identity opd.allen.la.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch July 18, 1943
Tour of Duty 21 yrs
Age 50
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious
Weapon Handgun

Chief of Police William Henry Bishop is one of 1 officers killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 0% of all 97,772 officers honored here.

In LA, 364 of 595 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 61.2% of this state's fallen. That is 61.2 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

At Oakdale Police Department, 2 of 3 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 66.7% of this agency's fallen.

Oakdale Police Department
2
of 3 officers
66.7% Felonious
LA — Statewide
364
of 595 officers
61.2% Felonious
Nationwide
1
of 97,772 officers
0% Felonious

National Cause Distribution

How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. William Henry Bishop's cause is highlighted.

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

How William Henry Bishop Compares

Age at Death
50
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 39.0 years
Years of Service
21
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 8.4 years

When Felonious Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. William Henry Bishop is highlighted in Jul.

Jan
1,392
Feb
1,295
Mar
1,373
Apr
1,516
May
1,504
Jun
1,442
Jul
1,587
Aug
1,517
Sep
1,491
Oct
1,371
Nov
1,447
Dec
1,624

Weapons Used Against Officers

Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. William Henry Bishop was killed by handgun.

Handgun
3,684
Gun
3,592
Gun; Unknown type
1,492
Shotgun
1,109
Rifle
935
Officer's handgun
909

Others Who Wore This Badge

2 officers from Oakdale Police Department are honored on badge.nw.