William Lawrence Bowman

San Francisco Police Department — San Francisco, CA

Veteran → Accident

End of Watch January 4, 1948

Age 32

Tour of Duty 5 yrs

The Vigil Panel 84 ›

Gender Male

Incident Service The Sacrifice Military Department 105

Incident

Officer William Bowman died of injuries he received when he fell from his motorcycle while responding to a robbery call. He was responding to a report of a robbery in progress at the corner of Sixth Avenue and Geary Boulevard. As Officer Bowman approached the intersection, he turned sharply to avoid an approaching patrol car and fell from his motorcycle. Officer Bowman was a United States Marine Corps WWII veteran and had served with the San Francisco Police Department for five years. He was survived by his wife and daughter. He is buried at the Golden Gate National Cemetary, San Bruno, San Mateo County, California.

Survivors

He was survived by his wife and daughter.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier: BO-US-CA-1FED9B97
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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Also honored at salute.nw — U.S. Marine Corps. One record, 2 gates. William is one person.

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Tributes

I served 1985 to 1993. You served too, before the badge - different uniform, same idea. You go where you are sent and you do not get to pick the call.
Officer Bowman gave the San Francisco Police Department 5 years.
Thank you for your service to the San Francisco community, and for your service before it. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, brother.

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

Agency

Department San Francisco Police Department

Type Police Department

Location San Francisco, CA

Platform Identity sfpd.sf.ca.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch January 4, 1948

Tour of Duty 5 yrs

Age 32

Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Accident

Military Service

William Lawrence Bowman served in the U.S. Marine Corps before joining law enforcement.

View full service record on salute.nw →

Officer William Lawrence Bowman is one of 1 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 0% of all 97,759 officers honored here.

In CA, 719 of 1,837 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 39.1% of this state's fallen. That is 39.1 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

At San Francisco Police Department, 35 of 106 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 33% of this agency's fallen.

San Francisco Police Department

of 106 officers

33% Accident

CA — Statewide

719

of 1,837 officers

39.1% Accident

Nationwide

of 97,759 officers

0% Accident