Roll of Honor
Incident
Officer William Sikola was killed in a motorcycle crash while responding to assist in the pursuit of a stolen vehicle on Highway 99. Officer Sikola was driving home from finishing his shift, and a call came on the radio about a stolen vehicle from a local car dealer. Officer Sikola joined the pursuit and got a "high-speed wobble" from the motorcycle. He received extensive head injuries from his shorty bell helmet and died 4 hours later. Officer Sikola had served with the Bakersfield Police Department for four years.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife and three children.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-CA-A63FCEF0- 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.
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Tributes
I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Police Officer Sikola gave the Bakersfield Police Department 4 years.
Thank you for your service to the Bakersfield community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Police Officer Sikola.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Police Officer William Leonard Sikola 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 CA, 719 of 1,837 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 39.1% of this state's fallen. That is 8.1 percentage points above the national rate of 31%.
At Bakersfield Police Department, 7 of 8 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 87.5% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. William Leonard Sikola's cause is highlighted.
How William Leonard Sikola Compares
Offender Outcome
Not available
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. William Leonard Sikola is highlighted in Jul.
Others Who Wore This Badge
7 officers from Bakersfield Police Department are honored on badge.nw.
