Roll of Honor
Incident
Chief of Police Ralph Thomas succumbed to injuries sustained nine days earlier when his patrol car was struck head-on by another vehicle on Highway 71, between Milford and Okoboji.
He was returning to Okoboji when another vehicle crossed the center line and struck his patrol car head-on. He was transported to Dickinson County Memorial Hospital where he remained until succumbing to his injuries.
Chief Thomas had served as the chief of police and city clerk for six years.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife and daughter.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-IA-30763AFC- 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.
Chief of Police Thomas gave the Okoboji Police Department 6 years.
Thank you for your service to the Okobjoi community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Chief of Police Thomas.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Chief of Police Ralph Earl Thomas 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 IA, 71 of 226 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 31.4% of this state's fallen. That is 0.4 percentage points above the national rate of 31%.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Ralph Earl Thomas's cause is highlighted.
How Ralph Earl Thomas Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Ralph Earl Thomas is highlighted in Oct.