Roll of Honor
Incident
Officer David Gaul was struck and killed by a vehicle while watching over a large group of children picnicking in Bradley Park.
Officer Gaul had parked his motorcycle and stood in the middle of the street in an effort to keep the children out of the road as well as make himself visible to vehicles. Someone called his attention to a car coming around the bend. As Officer Gaul walked forward, he waved and a vehicle struck the officer. He landed 20 feet away and suffered from multiple wounds as well as broken arms and legs. Officer Gaul died soon after his arrival at the hospital.
Officer Gaul had served with the Peoria Park District Police Department for five years.
Survivors
He was survived by a brother and three sisters.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-IL-3E780EAD- 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 Gaul gave the Peoria Park District Police Department 5 years.
Thank you for your service to the Peoria community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Officer Gaul.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Officer David W. Gaul 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. David W. Gaul's cause is highlighted.
How David W. Gaul Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. David W. Gaul is highlighted in Aug.
Others Who Wore This Badge
3 officers from Peoria Park District Police Department are honored on badge.nw.
