Roll of Honor
Incident
Officer Charles Barden was killed in a motorcycle accident while testing out his police motorcycle.
Officer Barden had been experiencing mechanical difficulties with the motorcycle and was told to have it taken to maintenance for repair. He was testing his motorcycle when it suddenly went off the side of the road. Before Officer Barden was able to regain control he hit a parked truck and was killed.
Officer Barden had served with the Peoria Park District Police Department for only six weeks.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife, mother, three brothers and a sister.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-IL-009983E9- 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 Barden served with the Peoria Park District Police Department.
Thank you for your service to the Peoria community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Officer Barden.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Officer Charles E. Barden 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 IL, 354 of 1,318 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 26.9% of this state's fallen. That is 4.1 percentage points below the national rate of 31%.
At Peoria Park District Police Department, 3 of 4 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. Charles E. Barden's cause is highlighted.
How Charles E. Barden Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Charles E. Barden is highlighted in Aug.
Others Who Wore This Badge
3 officers from Peoria Park District Police Department are honored on badge.nw.
