Roll of Honor
Donald J. DeMeulle
Incident
Deputy Donald DeMeulle was killed when the helicopter he was riding in crashed into Silverwood Lake. The helicopter became entangled in high-powered power lines and fell into the lake. Deputy DeMeulle sustained severe head injuries and was trapped in the helicopter as it became submerged. The pilot, who suffered a broken back, made several heroic attempts to dive into the water and free Deputy DeMeulle's seatbelt. Deputy DeMeulle had been with the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department for seven years.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife and two young children.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-CA-49D4BA3B- 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 DeMeulle gave the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department 7 years.
Thank you for your service to the San Bernardino community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Deputy Sheriff DeMeulle.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Deputy Sheriff Donald J. DeMeulle 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 San Bernardino County Sheriff's Dept., 8 of 18 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 44.4% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Donald J. DeMeulle's cause is highlighted.
How Donald J. DeMeulle Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Donald J. DeMeulle is highlighted in Jul.
Others Who Wore This Badge
17 officers from San Bernardino County Sheriff's Dept. are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
