Bernard Dean Ratliff

Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources — Frankfort, KY

Cardiac

End of Watch June 21, 1999

Age 51

Tour of Duty 20 yrs

The Vigil Panel 146 ›

Gender Male

Incident Service The Sacrifice Department 8

Incident

Conservation Officer Bernard Ratliff suffered a fatal heart attack after participating in his agency's physical fitness program during his shift in Richmond, Kentucky.

Officer Ratliff had served with the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources for 20 years.

Survivors

He is survived by his wife and two children.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier: BO-US-KY-306BE687
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

20 years. You could have gone home.
Conservation Officer Ratliff gave the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources 20 years. Still answering calls at the end.
Thank you for your service. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Conservation Officer Ratliff.

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

Agency

Department Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources

Location Frankfort, KY

Platform Identity kdfwrcons.fed.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch June 21, 1999

Tour of Duty 20 yrs

Age 51

Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Cardiac

Conservation Officer Bernard Dean Ratliff is one of 1,306 officers lost to cardiac events in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 4% of all 32,508 officers honored here.

In KY, 44 of 983 officers were lost to cardiac events in the line of duty — 4.5% of this state's fallen. That is 0.5 percentage points above the national rate of 4%.

At Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources, 1 of 9 officers on record were lost to cardiac events in the line of duty — 11.1% of this agency's fallen.

Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources

of 9 officers

11.1% Cardiac

KY — Statewide

of 983 officers

4.5% Cardiac

Nationwide

1,306

of 32,508 officers

4% Cardiac