Roll of Honor
Incident
Patrolman David Tapscott died from injuries suffered two days earlier after being involved in an automobile crash while responding to a disturbance among patrons at Wanda's Tavern at 10:00 p.m. Patrolman Tapscott was driving on wet roads when his police vehicle crashed into the center support pylon at the 9th Street railroad overpass. Patrolman Tapscott was transported to the hospital, and after two days on life support, he died as a result of his injuries. Patrolman Tapscott had served with the Springfield Police Department for five years. In May 2017, Ninth Street between Converse and Ridgely was renamed Officer David Tapscott Memorial Street.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-IL-51226AEF- 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.
Patrolman Tapscott gave the Springfield Police Department 5 years.
Thank you for your service to the Springfield community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Patrolman Tapscott.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Patrolman David R. Tapscott 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 Springfield Police Department, 1 of 10 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 10% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. David R. Tapscott's cause is highlighted.
How David R. Tapscott Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. David R. Tapscott is highlighted in Dec.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
9 officers from Springfield Police Department are honored on badge.nw.
