Roll of Honor
Denis Lee Van Patten
Incident
Customs Agent Denis Van Patten was killed in a vehicle crash while assigned as an attache to the United States Department of State in Guayaquil, Ecuador. Agent Van Patten was a veteran of both the U.S. Army and U.S. Marine Corps. He had served with the United States Customs Service for six years and was assigned to the United States Customs Service's Narcotics Control Division.
Survivors
He is survived by his wife and son.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-FED-FC985AD8- 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.
Customs Agent Van Patten gave the United States Department of the Treasury 6 years.
Thank you for your service. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, brother.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Military Service
Denis Lee Van Patten served in the United States military before joining law enforcement. Full service record available on salute.nw.
Customs Agent Denis Lee Van Patten 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 DC, 454 of 1,419 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 32% of this state's fallen. That is 1 percentage points above the national rate of 31%.
At United States Department of the Treasury - United States Customs Service, 44 of 94 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 46.8% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Denis Lee Van Patten's cause is highlighted.
How Denis Lee Van Patten Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Denis Lee Van Patten is highlighted in Dec.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
93 officers from United States Department of the Treasury - United States Customs Service are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
