Roll of Honor
Incident
Undersheriff William Stretcher and Chief of Police Lawrence Bass, of the Boulder Police Department, were killed in an automobile crash while responding to a fire. The Buick they were driving was only two days old and was the department's first police car. As they entered the intersection of 19th and Pearl Streets they collided with the city's first fire truck. Chief Bass and a civilian occupant of the police car were killed in the crash. Undersheriff Stretcher, also an occupant of the vehicle, succumbed to his injuries four days later.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-CO-A6F5A676- 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.
Undersheriff Stretcher served with the Boulder County Sheriff's Office.
Thank you for your service to the Boulder community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Undersheriff Stretcher.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Undersheriff William Washington Stretcher 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 CO, 101 of 360 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 28.1% of this state's fallen. That is 2.9 percentage points below the national rate of 31%.
At Boulder County Sheriff's Office, 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. William Washington Stretcher's cause is highlighted.
How William Washington Stretcher Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. William Washington Stretcher is highlighted in Mar.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
1 officer from Boulder County Sheriff's Office are honored on badge.nw.
