Roll of Honor
Incident
Deputy Sheriff Clyde Tatum and Deputy Sheriff Alf Wadsworth were killed when their patrol car collided at an intersection with a State Highway Patrol vehicle. Officers and deputies were responding to a high-priority domestic call when the crash occurred. The two highway patrolmen and a county judge in the other vehicle were seriously injured. Deputy Tatum died a few hours after the crash. Deputy Wadsworth was transported to Prattville General Hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries on July 24, 1952.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife, son, and brother.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-AL-2ACADAE9- 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.
Deputy Sheriff Tatum served with the Autauga County Sheriff's Office.
Thank you for your service to the Prattville community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Deputy Sheriff Tatum.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Deputy Sheriff Clyde Tatum 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 AL, 182 of 643 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 28.3% of this state's fallen. That is 2.7 percentage points below the national rate of 31%.
At Autauga County Sheriff's Office, 3 of 4 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 75% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Clyde Tatum's cause is highlighted.
How Clyde Tatum Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Clyde Tatum is highlighted in Nov.
Others Who Wore This Badge
3 officers from Autauga County Sheriff's Office are honored on badge.nw.
