Roll of Honor
Incident
Chief of Police Dalton Garner was killed in an automobile crash while returning from an investigation. His patrol car went out of control during a severe thunderstorm near Detroit, Alabama. He was thrown from the vehicle and trapped underneath the car when it landed in a ditch. He drowned as a result of flooding from the heavy rains. Chief Garner was a WWII veteran who served in law enforcement for 23 years. He had previously served with the Marion County Sheriff's Department and the Weston Police Department.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife and child.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-AL-F2DE51B3- 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.
Chief of Police Garner gave the Hamilton Police Department 23 years.
Thank you for your service to the Hamilton 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
Service Record
Incident Details
Military Service
Dalton Toy Garner served in the United States military before joining law enforcement. Full service record available on salute.nw.
Chief of Police Dalton Toy Garner 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 Hamilton Police Department, 1 of 2 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 50% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Dalton Toy Garner's cause is highlighted.
How Dalton Toy Garner Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Dalton Toy Garner is highlighted in Feb.
Others Who Wore This Badge
1 officer from Hamilton Police Department are honored on badge.nw.
