Roll of Honor
Incident
Sergeant Willard Ballard suffered a fatal heart attack while investigating a burglary. He was on his way to an informant's house when he suffered a heart attack while driving. He drifted through an intersection and hit a light signal at Beverly Boulevard and Hillview Avenue. He was transported to Bella Vista Hospital, where he died the next day. Sergeant Ballard was a United States World War II Army veteran who had served with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department for 26 years and was assigned to the East Los Angeles Station. His grandson, Police Officer Kyle Russell Ballard, died in the line of duty in 2006 from a heart attack while on a training run.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-CA-BBC47204- 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.
Sergeant Ballard gave the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department 26 years.
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
Willard R. Ballard served in the United States military before joining law enforcement. Full service record available on salute.nw.
Sergeant Willard R. Ballard is one of 1,306 officers lost to cardiac events in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 4% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In CA, 52 of 1,837 officers were lost to cardiac events in the line of duty — 2.8% of this state's fallen. That is 1.2 percentage points below the national rate of 4%.
At Los Angeles County Sheriff's Dept., 5 of 120 officers on record were lost to cardiac events in the line of duty — 4.2% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Cardiac compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Willard R. Ballard's cause is highlighted.
How Willard R. Ballard Compares
When Cardiac Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Cardiac deaths across the full memorial record. Willard R. Ballard is highlighted in May.
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.
