Roll of Honor
Incident
Captain Roland Barbeau was killed in an automobile accident while transporting prisoners from Ridgecrest to Bakersfield. Captain Barbeau and a fellow officer were transporting prisoners when a tire blew out and their vehicle overturned. The two prisoners helped make the officers comfortable and walked two miles to call for help. Then they returned to the wreckage to offer more assistance. Captain Barbeau was transported to the hospital where he succumbed to his injuries. Captain Barbeau had been with the Kern County Sheriff's Office for 18 years.
Survivors
He is survived by his wife, son, and daughter.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-CA-31CA0D81- 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.
Captain Barbeau gave the Kern County Sheriff's Office 18 years.
Thank you for your service to the Bakersfield community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Captain Barbeau.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Captain Roland Lucien Barbeau 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 CA, 719 of 1,837 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 39.1% of this state's fallen. That is 8.1 percentage points above the national rate of 31%.
At Kern County Sheriff's Office, 18 of 28 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 64.3% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Roland Lucien Barbeau's cause is highlighted.
How Roland Lucien Barbeau Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Roland Lucien Barbeau is highlighted in Feb.
Others Who Wore This Badge
27 officers from Kern County Sheriff's Office are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
