Robert "Sande" Sanderson

Birmingham Police Dept. — Birmingham, AL

Felonious Veteran

End of Watch January 29, 1998

Age 34

Tour of Duty 9 yrs

Badge 257

The Vigil Panel 144 ›

Gender Male

Incident Service The Sacrifice Department 48

Incident

Officer Sande Sanderson was killed when a bomb exploded as he worked an overtime assignment at an abortion clinic located at 1001 17th Street S. Officer Sanderson and one of the clinic's nurses were opening the clinic when the bomb detonated. The nurse was transported to a local hospital in critical condition. Officer Sanderson was the first person ever to be killed in an abortion clinic bombing. The subject had evaded searches involving several hundred state and federal officers by hiding in a national forest in North Carolina since the incident. The man was apprehended on May 31st, 2003, when a police officer in Murphy, North Carolina, spotted him digging through a dumpster and arrested him. On April 13th, 2005, the man pleaded guilty to the bombing in which Officer Sanderson was killed. He was sentenced to four life sentences. Officer Sanderson was a U.S. Air Force veteran and had served with the Birmingham Police Department for nine years.

Survivors

Survivors include his wife and one child.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier: BO-US-AL-0941A01B
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 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 Sanderson gave the Birmingham Police Department 9 years.
Thank you for your service to the Birmingham 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 Birmingham Police Dept.

Location Birmingham, AL

Platform Identity birmpd.jefferson.al.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch January 29, 1998

Tour of Duty 9 yrs

Age 34

Badge Number 257

Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious

Weapon Explosives; Bomb

Offender Sentenced to life

Military Service

Robert "Sande" Sanderson served in the United States military before joining law enforcement. Full service record available on salute.nw.

Officer Robert "Sande" Sanderson 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 AL, 405 of 643 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 63% of this state's fallen. That is 8.8 percentage points above the national rate of 54.2%.

At Birmingham Police Dept., 34 of 49 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 69.4% of this agency's fallen.

Birmingham Police Dept.

of 49 officers

69.4% Felonious

AL — Statewide

405

of 643 officers

63% Felonious

Nationwide

17,623

of 32,508 officers

54.2% Felonious