Roll of Honor
Incident
Patrolman Walter Poturalski was killed when the motorcycle he was riding hit a stone and fell in front of a funeral cortege, one-half mile from the cemetery. Patrolman Poturalski had served with the Gary Police Department for eight years.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife, daughter and two sons.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-IN-1E687303- 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 Poturalski gave the Gary Police Department 8 years.
Thank you for your service to the Gary community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Patrolman Poturalski.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Patrolman Walter Poturalski 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 IN, 151 of 503 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 30% of this state's fallen. That is 1 percentage points below the national rate of 31%.
At Gary Police Department, 5 of 15 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 33.3% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Walter Poturalski's cause is highlighted.
How Walter Poturalski Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Walter Poturalski is highlighted in Aug.
Others Who Wore This Badge
14 officers from Gary Police Department are honored on badge.nw.
