Bobby Earl Raulston
Deputy Sheriff

Bobby Earl Raulston

Accident Veteran →
End of Watch May 9, 1988
Age 60
Tour of Duty 5 yrs
The Vigil Panel 133 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Deputy Raulston was killed in a helicopter accident while taking off from the airport in Ozark, Alabama, while en route to Florida to participate in a narcotics training program. He was piloting the department's helicopter when it experienced a mechanical failure and crashed. Deputy Raulston had served with the agency for 5 years. He was a US Army veteran and was a helicopter pilot in Vietnam.

Survivors

Survivors to reach me with family information.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-AL-ABA895E6
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.
Deputy Sheriff Raulston gave the Dale County Sheriff's Office 5 years.
Thank you for your service to the Ozark 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

Location Ozark, AL
Platform Identity dcso.dale.al.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch May 9, 1988
Tour of Duty 5 yrs
Age 60
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Accident

Military Service

Bobby Earl Raulston served in the Army (1956–1974) before joining law enforcement.

View full service record on salute.nw →

Deputy Sheriff Bobby Earl Raulston 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 Dale County Sheriff's Dept., 1 of 4 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 25% of this agency's fallen.

Dale County Sheriff's Dept.
1
of 4 officers
25% Accident
AL — Statewide
182
of 643 officers
28.3% Accident
Nationwide
10,088
of 32,508 officers
31% Accident

National Cause Distribution

How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Bobby Earl Raulston's cause is highlighted.

Felonious
17,623 (54.2%)
Accident
10,088 (31%)
Illness
2,974 (9.1%)
Cardiac
1,306 (4%)
Undetermined
260 (0.8%)
Suicide
256 (0.8%)
vehicular
1 (0%)

How Bobby Earl Raulston Compares

Age at End of Watch
60
This officer
Avg for Accident: 38.1 years
Years of Service
5
This officer
Avg for Accident: 9.1 years

When Accident Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Bobby Earl Raulston is highlighted in May.

Jan
820
Feb
730
Mar
748
Apr
707
May
847
Jun
795
Jul
897
Aug
937
Sep
913
Oct
925
Nov
872
Dec
897

Incident Location