Roll of Honor
Incident
Chief of Police Thomas Dillon was shot and killed after responding to a holdup at a local cab company in downtown Bethel. When he arrived on the scene, he exchanged shots with the suspect, who was armed with a shotgun. Chief Dillon was struck in the chest and fatally wounded. He was able to wound the suspect, who was later apprehended by other officers. The suspect was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life. On November 4th, 1977, the Alaska Supreme Court ruled that the prosecution had withheld evidence from the defense and overturned the conviction. In the second trial, he was convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to 20 years. He was paroled on January 12th, 1978. Chief Dillon had served with the Bethel Police Department for 2-1/2 years.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife and son.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-AK-10AB5936- 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.
Chief of Police Dillon gave the Bethel Police Department 2 years.
Thank you for your service to the Bethel community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Chief of Police Dillon.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Chief of Police Thomas Clifford Dillon 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 AK, 35 of 50 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 70% of this state's fallen. That is 15.8 percentage points above the national rate of 54.2%.
National Cause Distribution
How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Thomas Clifford Dillon's cause is highlighted.
How Thomas Clifford Dillon Compares
Offender Outcome
Paroled in 1978
When Felonious Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. Thomas Clifford Dillon is highlighted in Nov.
Weapons Used Against Officers
Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. Thomas Clifford Dillon was killed by shotgun.