William Francis Pickard
Trooper

William Francis Pickard

KY State Police — Frankfort, KY
Felonious
End of Watch January 21, 1976
Age 26
Tour of Duty 3 yrs 6 mo
The Vigil Panel 116 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Trooper William Pickard was shot and killed while assisting the Hodgenville Police Department in serving an assault and menacing warrant. When Trooper Pickard attempted to talk to the subject and approached the home. The subject fired through the door, striking Trooper Pickard, who was mortally wounded. The subject was convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison. Trooper Pickard had served with the Kentucky State Police for over three years. He was survived by his wife, son, mother, grandmother, and sister. A five-mile stretch of KY 61 in Larue County was renamed the “Trooper William F. Pickard Memorial Highway.”

Survivors

He was survived by his wife, son, mother, grandmother, and sister.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-KY-8406959E
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

I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Trooper Pickard gave the Kentucky State Police 3 years.
Thank you for your service to the people of Kentucky. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Trooper Pickard.

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

Agency

Department KY State Police
Type State Police
Location Frankfort, KY
Platform Identity kysp.ky.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch January 21, 1976
Tour of Duty 3 yrs 6 mo
Age 26
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious
Weapon Gun

Trooper William Francis Pickard 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 KY, 755 of 983 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 76.8% of this state's fallen. That is 76.8 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

At KY State Police, 12 of 29 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 41.4% of this agency's fallen.

KY State Police
12
of 29 officers
41.4% Felonious
KY — Statewide
755
of 983 officers
76.8% 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 Francis Pickard's cause is highlighted.

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

How William Francis Pickard Compares

Age at Death
26
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 39.0 years
Years of Service
3.5
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 8.4 years

When Felonious Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. William Francis Pickard is highlighted in Jan.

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 Francis Pickard was killed by gun.

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