Roll of Honor
Incident
Sheriff Hansen drowned after saving a boy who had fallen into the Sheyenne River on the first day of fishing season. The sheriff dove in after the boy and was able to push him to safety but was pulled under by the river's strong currents. His body was recovered two hours later. Sheriff Hansen had served as sheriff for 4 years.
Survivors
He was survived by his father, two brothers, and three sisters.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-ND-E01C6F8D- 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.
Sheriff Hansen gave the Ransom County Sheriff's Department 4 years.
Thank you for your service to the Lisbon community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Sheriff Hansen.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Sheriff Ralph J. Hansen 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 ND, 15 of 61 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 24.6% of this state's fallen. That is 6.4 percentage points below the national rate of 31%.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Ralph J. Hansen's cause is highlighted.
How Ralph J. Hansen Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Ralph J. Hansen is highlighted in May.