William Benno Wolff, III

California Highway Patrol — Sacramento, CA

Felonious

End of Watch December 30, 1977

Age 32

Tour of Duty 4 yrs

Badge 8342

The Vigil Panel 119 ›

Gender Male

Incident Service The Sacrifice Department 232

Incident

Officer Wolff was struck and killed by a drunk driver while making a traffic stop. He had just completed issuing a citation and was returning to his cruiser when he was struck. The impact was so great that it knocked him over the vehicle he had stopped. The drunk driver was apprehended and charged with felony drunk driving. Officer Wolff had been with the agency for four years.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier: BO-US-CA-5B698E65
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.
Officer Wolff gave the California Highway Patrol 4 years.
Thank you for your service to the people of California. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Officer Wolff.

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

Agency

Department California Highway Patrol

Location Sacramento, CA

Platform Identity chp.ca.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch December 30, 1977

Tour of Duty 4 yrs

Age 32

Badge Number 8342

Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious

Weapon Automobile; Alcohol involved

Offender Charged with felony drunk driving

Officer William Benno Wolff, III is one of 17,623 officers killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 54.2% of all 32,508 officers honored here.

In CA, 974 of 1,837 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 53% of this state's fallen. That is 1.2 percentage points below the national rate of 54.2%.

At California Highway Patrol, 71 of 233 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 30.5% of this agency's fallen.

California Highway Patrol

of 233 officers

30.5% Felonious

CA — Statewide

974

of 1,837 officers

53% Felonious

Nationwide

17,623

of 32,508 officers

54.2% Felonious