Incident
Lieutenant Ralph Bentley was struck and killed by a truck while working an accident scene on US Highway 78, at mile post 181. No charges were filed against the truck driver. Lieutenant Bentley had served with the Heflin Police Department for seven years.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife and three sons.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-AL-CE8532C0- Stewardship
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- 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.
Lieutenant Bentley gave the Heflin Police Department 7 years.
Thank you for your service to the Heflin community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Lieutenant Bentley.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Lieutenant Ralph Byron Bentley 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%.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Ralph Byron Bentley's cause is highlighted.
How Ralph Byron Bentley Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Ralph Byron Bentley is highlighted in Jul.