Roll of Honor
Frank DeWar
Incident
Chief Deputy Sheriff Frank DeWar was killed in an airplane accident while returning from Bakersfield after investigating a lead in a kidnapping case. The pilot of the Century-Pacific Airlines plane attempted to fly low under the clouds of a storm but was forced to turn back. The plane struck a ridge in Johnson Canyon on the Tejon Ranch, near Lebec, Kern County. The pilot and all seven passengers were killed. Despite a massive air search involving over 100 planes, the wreckage was not located until one week later when a rancher driving along the Ridge Route Highway spotted it. Chief Deputy DeWar was a WWI veteran and was in charge of the Special Anti-Gangster Duty.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-CA-978848D6- 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 Deputy Sheriff DeWar served with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.
Thank you for your service to the Los Angeles 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
Frank DeWar served in the United States military before joining law enforcement. Full service record available on salute.nw.
Chief Deputy Sheriff Frank DeWar 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 Los Angeles County Sheriff's Dept., 50 of 120 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 41.7% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Frank DeWar's cause is highlighted.
How Frank DeWar Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Frank DeWar is highlighted in Jan.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
119 officers from Los Angeles County Sheriff's Dept. are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
