Roll of Honor
Incident
Officer Deward Gresham was killed in a motorcycle accident while attempting to stop a traffic violator at 0800 hours. He was riding to work on his police motorcycle when he observed the violation and attempted to stop the car. Another vehicle pulled out in front of him at Union Street and Buena Vista Avenue, causing him to crash and strike his head. Officer Gresham was transported to the Alameda Hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries the next day. He was only wearing a soft hat and received fatal head injuries. Officer Gresham had been with the Alameda Police Department for over three years.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife, children, and parents.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-CA-D0117A16- 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.
Officer Gresham gave the Alameda Police Department 3 years.
Thank you for your service to the Alameda community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Officer Gresham.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Officer DeWard Burton Gresham, Sr. 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 Alameda Police Department, 1 of 2 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 50% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. DeWard Burton Gresham, Sr.'s cause is highlighted.
How DeWard Burton Gresham, Sr. Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. DeWard Burton Gresham, Sr. is highlighted in Jul.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
1 officer from Alameda Police Department are honored on badge.nw.
