Incident
Sheriff Mark Hecker suffered a fatal heart attack after struggling with a mental subject he was attempting to take into emergency protective custody.
He began to feel ill several hours later and drove himself to a local hospital. His condition continued to worsen and he passed away four days later.
Sheriff Hecker had served with the Butler County Sheriff's Office for 26 years and had previously served with the Humphrey Police Department and David City Police Department for nine years.
Survivors
He is survived by his six children, five grandchildren, and two brothers.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-NE-3996893D- 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.
Are you family? This record can be claimed and maintained by those who knew Mark. Claim this record.
This page is permanent and free. No fee to view it, no advertising, no tracking, and no account required. It will not be taken down.
Tributes
33 years. You could have gone home.
Sheriff Hecker gave the Butler County Sheriff's Office 33 years. Still answering calls at the end.
Thank you for your service to the David City community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Sheriff Hecker.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Sheriff Mark Alan Hecker 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 NE, 10 of 151 officers were lost to cardiac events in the line of duty — 6.6% of this state's fallen. That is 2.6 percentage points above the national rate of 4%.
At Butler County Sheriff's Office, 2 of 2 officers on record were lost to cardiac events in the line of duty — 100% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Cardiac compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Mark Alan Hecker's cause is highlighted.
How Mark Alan Hecker Compares
When Cardiac Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Cardiac deaths across the full memorial record. Mark Alan Hecker is highlighted in Aug.
Others Who Wore This Badge
1 officer from Butler County Sheriff's Office are honored on badge.nw.
