Roll of Honor
Incident
Trooper Ted Benda succumbed to injuries sustained six days earlier when he was involved in a single-vehicle crash.
He was responding to assist deputies from the Clayton County Sheriff's Office with a wanted subject at about 11:30 pm when his patrol car left the roadway on Iowa Highway 51 six miles north of Postville. He was flown to Gunderson Lutheran Hospital in La Crosse, Wisconsin, where he remained until succumbing to his injuries.
Trooper Benda had served with the Iowa State Patrol for five years and had previously served with the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation for 11 years.
Survivors
He is survived by his wife, four children, parents, and siblings.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-IA-F3E9DBF5- 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.
Trooper Benda gave the Iowa State Patrol 16 years.
Thank you for your service to the people of Iowa. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Trooper Benda.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Trooper Theodore Lawrence Benda 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 Iowa State Patrol, 9 of 12 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 75% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Theodore Lawrence Benda's cause is highlighted.
How Theodore Lawrence Benda Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Theodore Lawrence Benda is highlighted in Oct.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
11 officers from Iowa State Patrol are honored on badge.nw.
