Kirk Anthony Griess
Agency patch
Officer

Kirk Anthony Griess

California Highway Patrol — Sacramento, CA
Accident Veteran →
End of Watch August 10, 2018
Age 46
Tour of Duty 19 yrs
Badge 15810
The Vigil Panel 169 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Officer Kirk Griess was struck and killed by a vehicle while conducting a traffic stop on I-80, near Manuel Campos Parkway, in Solano.

Another vehicle entered the area and struck both Officer Griess and the vehicle he had stopped. Officer Griess and the driver of the stopped car were both killed.

The driver of the car that struck them was on the cell phone at the time of the incident and was charged with felony gross vehicular manslaughter and reckless driving causing fatal injuries. In October 2021, the driver was sentenced to one year in jail, one year of probation, and 150 hours of community service when charges were reduced with a plea deal.

Officer Griess was a U.S. Marine Corps veteran and had served with the California Highway Patrol for 19 years.

Survivors

He is survived by his wife, two daughters, and son.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-CA-F38AB427
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.
Officer Griess gave the California Highway Patrol 19 years.
Thank you for your service to the people of California. Thank you for your service before it. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, brother.

— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993

Agency

Location Sacramento, CA
Platform Identity chp.ca.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch August 10, 2018
Tour of Duty 19 yrs
Age 46
Badge Number 15810
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Accident

Military Service

Kirk Anthony Griess served in the Marine Corps (1990–1994) before joining law enforcement.

View full service record on salute.nw →

Officer Kirk Anthony Griess 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 California Highway Patrol, 151 of 233 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 64.8% of this agency's fallen.

California Highway Patrol
151
of 233 officers
64.8% Accident
CA — Statewide
719
of 1,837 officers
39.1% Accident
Nationwide
10,088
of 32,508 officers
31% Accident

National Cause Distribution

How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Kirk Anthony Griess's cause is highlighted.

Felonious
17,623 (54.2%)
Accident
10,088 (31%)
Illness
2,974 (9.1%)
Cardiac
1,306 (4%)
Undetermined
260 (0.8%)
Suicide
256 (0.8%)
vehicular
1 (0%)

How Kirk Anthony Griess Compares

Age at End of Watch
46
This officer
Avg for Accident: 38.1 years
Years of Service
19
This officer
Avg for Accident: 9.1 years

When Accident Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Kirk Anthony Griess is highlighted in Aug.

Jan
820
Feb
730
Mar
748
Apr
707
May
847
Jun
795
Jul
897
Aug
937
Sep
913
Oct
925
Nov
872
Dec
897

Incident Location