Roll of Honor
Incident
Officer Gene Bessette was operating his police motorcycle east-bound on Lakeview Avenue South and Twelfth Street when a vehicle being driven on Twelfth Street ran a stop sign and collided with the motorcycle, throwing him 44-feet and knocking off his helmet. He was transported to a local hospital where he succumbed to his injuries a short time later. Officer Bessette had served with the St. Petersburg Police Department for two years.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife and three children.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-FL-BF94ABB0- 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.
Officer Bessette gave the St. Petersburg Police Department 2 years.
Thank you for your service to the St. Petersburg community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Officer Bessette.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Officer Gene A. Bessette 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 FL, 313 of 1,008 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 31.1% of this state's fallen. That is 0.1 percentage points above the national rate of 31%.
At St. Petersburg Police Department, 3 of 16 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 18.8% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Gene A. Bessette's cause is highlighted.
How Gene A. Bessette Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Gene A. Bessette is highlighted in Nov.
Others Who Wore This Badge
15 officers from St. Petersburg Police Department are honored on badge.nw.
