Roll of Honor
Incident
Chief William Bauer was killed in an automobile accident two miles east of Camp Grove in Marshall County.
At about 11:30 am, Chief Bauer was traveling eastbound on County Road 1050 North when a southbound vehicle on County Road 250 East entered the intersection, pulling into his path. Chief Bauer suffered fatal injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene. He was en route to an Illinois Valley Crime Commission executive board luncheon in Hennepin at the time of the accident.
The driver of the other vehicle was cited for failing to yield at a stop sign.
Chief Bauer had served with the Wyoming Police Department for over 7½ years and for the past year was also the acting chief of the Bradford Police Department. He had previously served as a part-time officer with the Henry, Princeton and Sheffield police departments for five years.
Chief Bauer was survived by his wife, two sons, daughter, sister, father and grandparents.
Survivors
Chief Bauer was survived by his wife, two sons, daughter, sister, father and grandparents.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-IL-1FBCBA4D- 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 never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Chief of Police Bauer gave the Wyoming Police Department 12 years.
Thank you for your service to the Wyoming community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Chief of Police Bauer.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Chief of Police William Thomas "Bill" Bauer 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%.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. William Thomas "Bill" Bauer's cause is highlighted.
How William Thomas "Bill" Bauer Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. William Thomas "Bill" Bauer is highlighted in Aug.