Howard P. Atwell
Agency patch
Patrolman

Howard P. Atwell

Wilmington Police Department — Wilmington, DE
Accident
End of Watch June 29, 1926
Age 40
Tour of Duty 11 yrs
The Vigil Panel 51 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Patrolman Howard Atwell was killed in a motorcycle crash at the intersection of Concord Avenue and Washington Street while pursuing a vehicle.

Patrolman Atwell had served with the Wilmington Police Department for 11 years.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-DE-F69A5BC9
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.
Patrolman Atwell gave the Wilmington Police Department 11 years.
Thank you for your service to the Wilmington community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Patrolman Atwell.

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

Agency

Location Wilmington, DE
Platform Identity wpd.newcastle.de.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch June 29, 1926
Tour of Duty 11 yrs
Age 40
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Accident
Weapon Automobile
Offender Not available

Patrolman Howard P. Atwell 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 DE, 19 of 51 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 37.3% of this state's fallen. That is 6.3 percentage points above the national rate of 31%.

At Wilmington Police Department, 3 of 11 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 27.3% of this agency's fallen.

Wilmington Police Department
3
of 11 officers
27.3% Accident
DE — Statewide
19
of 51 officers
37.3% 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. Howard P. Atwell'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 Howard P. Atwell Compares

Age at End of Watch
40
This officer
Avg for Accident: 38.1 years
Years of Service
11
This officer
Avg for Accident: 9.1 years

Offender Outcome

Not available

When Accident Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Howard P. Atwell is highlighted in Jun.

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