Roll of Honor
Incident
Chief Garland drowned when a bridge over the Red River, collapsed during a period of heavy flooding.
The chief had noticed that a number of people were on the bridge watching the rising flood waters. As he went onto the bridge to warn them to get off, the bridge was struck by timber from a railroad bridge that had collapsed upstream.
The impact of the timber caused the bridge to collapse. Chief Garland and six citizens were thrown into the river and drowned as a result.
Chief Garland had served with the agency for 15 years.
Survivors
He is survived by his wife and eight children.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-TX-3498A03F- 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.
Are you family? This record can be claimed and maintained by those who knew William. Claim this record.
This page is permanent and free. No fee to view it, no advertising, no tracking, and no account required. It will not be taken down.
Tributes
I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Chief of Police Garland gave the Burkburnett Police Department 15 years.
Thank you for your service to the Burkburnett community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Chief of Police Garland.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Chief of Police William Irvin Garland 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%.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. William Irvin Garland's cause is highlighted.
How William Irvin Garland Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. William Irvin Garland is highlighted in May.