Roll of Honor
Incident
Senior Police Officer Phoukham Tran succumbed to injuries he received when he was struck by a drunk driver at the intersection of East 30th Street and East Grand Avenue in Des Moines on August 19, 2011.
Officer Tran was directing traffic at the Iowa State Fair when the driver of a pickup hit him and threw him 47 feet into the air. He was transported to the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics where he was treated for traumatic brain injury, broken ribs, and ruptured spleen.
The driver was convicted of serious injury by vehicle, operating while intoxicated-2nd offense, and possession of a controlled substance and was sentenced to seven years.
Officer Tran remained wheelchair-bound, suffering from seizures and speech, memory, vision, and coordination issues. On November 2, 2023, he passed away from his injuries.
Officer Tran had served with the Des Moines Police Department as a police officer for over 12 years and was a cadet with the agency for 18 years.
Survivors
He is survived by his wife and two children.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-IA-CDE3547C- 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.
Senior Police Officer Tran gave the Des Moines Police Department 12 years.
Thank you for your service to the Des Moines community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Senior Police Officer Tran.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Senior Police Officer Phoukham Tran 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%.
At Des Moines Police Department, 7 of 27 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 25.9% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Phoukham Tran's cause is highlighted.
How Phoukham Tran Compares
Offender Outcome
Sentenced to 7 years
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Phoukham Tran is highlighted in Nov.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
26 officers from Des Moines Police Department are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
