Alvin Leroy Foss
Agency patch
Officer

Alvin Leroy Foss

California Highway Patrol — Sacramento, CA
Accident Veteran
End of Watch April 26, 1950
Age 23
Tour of Duty 1 yrs
The Vigil Panel 86 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Officer Alvin Foss was accidentally shot and killed when his service revolver fell from its holster and discharged while he was in the Bay Bridge Toll Plaza squad room in Alameda County. When the revolver struck the concrete floor the firing pin was pressed firmly enough that it caused the round to discharge. Officer Foss was a U.S. Army Air Force veteran of WWII. He had served with the California Highway Patrol for one year and was assigned to the Bay Bridge Patrol Unit.

Survivors

He was survived by his wife, 2-year-old son, and mother.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-CA-F4C9505E
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 Foss gave the California Highway Patrol 1 year.
Thank you for your service to the people of California, and 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 April 26, 1950
Tour of Duty 1 yrs
Age 23
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Accident

Military Service

Alvin Leroy Foss served in the United States military before joining law enforcement. Full service record available on salute.nw.

Officer Alvin Leroy Foss 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. Alvin Leroy Foss'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 Alvin Leroy Foss Compares

Age at End of Watch
23
This officer
Avg for Accident: 38.1 years
Years of Service
1
This officer
Avg for Accident: 9.1 years

When Accident Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Alvin Leroy Foss is highlighted in Apr.

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