Roll of Honor

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Officer

James Douglas Bossen

Indianapolis Airport Authority Police Department — Indianapolis, IN

Accident Veteran →

End of Watch February 5, 1982

Age 37

Tour of Duty 13 yrs 6 mo

The Vigil Panel 125 ›

Gender Male

Incident Service The Sacrifice

Incident

Officer James Bossen was killed while piloting a small aircraft in which he and a private guard were transporting two prisoners for the Indiana Department of Correction. The aircraft crashed into the side of Sugar Loaf Ridge in heavy fog, killing all persons aboard. The crash occurred in a rural area of Lamsburg, Carroll County, Virginia, approximately four miles from the Virginia and North Carolina state line. Officer Bossen had served with the Indianapolis Airport Police Department for one year and had previously served with the Marion County Sheriff's Department in Indiana for 12-½ years after returning from a tour of combat duty in the Vietnam War.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier: BO-US-IN-3C2FB4AC
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 served 1985 to 1993. You served too, before the badge - different uniform, same idea. You go where you are sent and you do not get to pick the call.
Officer Bossen gave the Indianapolis Airport Authority Police Department 13 years.
Thank you for your service to the Indianapolis community, and for your service before it. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, brother.

— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993

Agency

Department Indianapolis Airport Authority Police Department

Location Indianapolis, IN

Platform Identity iaapd.marion.in.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch February 5, 1982

Tour of Duty 13 yrs 6 mo

Age 37

Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Accident

Military Service

James Douglas Bossen served in the Army (1964â1967) before joining law enforcement.

View full service record on salute.nw →

Officer James Douglas Bossen 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%.

Indianapolis Airport Authority Police Department

of 1 officers

100% Accident

IN — Statewide

151

of 503 officers

30% Accident

Nationwide

10,088

of 32,508 officers

31% Accident

National Cause Distribution

How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. James Douglas Bossen's cause is highlighted.

Felonious

17,623 (54.2%)

Accident

10,088 (31%)

Illness

2,974 (9.1%)

Cardiac

1,306 (4%)

Undetermined

260 (0.8%)

Suicide

256 (0.8%)

vehicular

1 (0%)

How James Douglas Bossen Compares

Age at End of Watch

This officer

Avg for Accident: 38.1 years

Years of Service

13.5