Roll of Honor
Incident
Trooper Dale Van Vooren was killed in an automobile accident as a result of a mechanical failure in his squad car. On what normally would have been his day off, Trooper Van Vooren was working a special holiday patrol on Saturday, December 29, 1962, with Trooper Darrel Vandenore. When the two first came on duty, they noticed that the accelerator was sticking when they first began their shift. They took the vehicle to a service station and had a spring replaced. They headed back on the road. The repair did not fix the problem and afterwards, the problem was found to be a malfunctioning carburetor linkage. Accelerating to pursue a speeder, the two troopers were driving on Highway 6, about a mile east of Annawan, when the carburetor stuck wide open. The squad car spun out of control, struck a culvert, skidded across the highway and overturned. Trooper Van Vooren was thrown through the windshield. He died of head injuries at St. Francis Hospital in Kewanee. His partner, although seriously injured, survived and returned to duty. Trooper Van Vooren was a U.S Navy veteran and served with the Illinois State Police for five years. He was assigned to District 7, Rock Island. His wife and three children survive.
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BO-US-IL-0BFF584F- Stewardship
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- 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 served 1985 to 1993. You served too, before the badge - different uniform, same idea. You go where you are sent and you do not get to pick the call.
Trooper Van Vooren gave the Illinois State Police 5 years.
Thank you for your service to the people of Illinois, and for your service before it. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, brother.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Military Service
Dale August Van Vooren served in the United States military before joining law enforcement. Full service record available on salute.nw.
Trooper Dale August Van Vooren 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 Illinois State Police, 49 of 67 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 73.1% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Dale August Van Vooren's cause is highlighted.
How Dale August Van Vooren Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Dale August Van Vooren is highlighted in Dec.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
66 officers from Illinois State Police are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
