Roll of Honor
Incident
Trooper Frank Dunbar was killed in an automobile accident while patrolling Route 37, north of Benton. Trooper Dunbar was traveling south in his marked patrol car when a 19-year-old man began to pass another vehicle heading north. Just as he noticed Trooper Dunbar approaching, he tried to veer back into the northbound lane, but was unable to keep the car under control. The vehicle flipped end-over-end into the oncoming trooper. The top of Trooper Dunbar's squad car was completely sheered off by the rolling car. Trooper Dunbar died en route to the hospital. The other driver was charged with reckless homicide, reckless driving, and improper lane usage. Trooper Dunbar was the first trooper in 26 years to be killed in the line of duty, and the first to be killed in a patrol car accident in southern Illinois. He joined the Illinois State Police on October 28th, 1957, and was assigned to District 13 in DuQuoin. His wife and two children survive Trooper Dunbar.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-IL-9612D0D7- 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.
Trooper Dunbar gave the Illinois State Police 15 years.
Thank you for your service to the people of Illinois. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Trooper Dunbar.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Trooper Frank R. Dunbar 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. Frank R. Dunbar's cause is highlighted.
How Frank R. Dunbar Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Frank R. Dunbar is highlighted in May.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
66 officers from Illinois State Police are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
