Roll of Honor
Incident
Sheriff William Elam was killed in an automobile accident in the North Lake Tahoe area of the county.
He was conducting official business when his vehicle left the roadway and plummeted down a 100-foot embankment.
Sheriff Elam had been elected sheriff only 10 months earlier.
Survivors
He is survived by his wife, son, and daughter.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-CA-7119610B- 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.
Sheriff Elam served with the Placer County Sheriff's Office.
Thank you for your service to the Auburn community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Sheriff Elam.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Sheriff William Elam 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 Placer County Sheriff's Office, 6 of 9 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 66.7% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. William Elam's cause is highlighted.
How William Elam Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. William Elam is highlighted in Oct.
Others Who Wore This Badge
8 officers from Placer County Sheriff's Office are honored on badge.nw.
