Roll of Honor
Incident
Constable Dolph Berning was shot and killed after stopping a stolen car on Highway 80 at the Emigrant Pass near Carlin. He had been notified that the car had been stolen and waited for the car to drive past him on the highway. He was shot as he approached the driver after stopping the car. The suspect, an escaped juvenile offender from Indiana, shot him once in the chest. Although wounded, Constable Berning was able to struggle with the suspect but was shot a second time in the neck. The suspect then pulled Constable Berning into the vehicle and drove to a construction zone near Emigrants Pass. The suspect abandoned the vehicle and got into the vehicle of an accomplice who had been following him. Both suspects were apprehended a short time later. Constable Berning was taken to Elko General Hospital, where he succumbed to his wounds. The suspect, age 17, was convicted of first-degree murder and executed in the gas chamber on September 29, 1944. No person that young has ever been executed in Nevada before or since then. Constable Berning had served as Constable for 28 years.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife, two daughters, and four grandchildren.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-NV-4619FC0A- 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.
Constable Berning served with the Carlin Police Department.
Thank you for your service to the Carlin community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Constable Berning.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Constable Adolph H. "Dolph" Berning is one of 17,623 officers killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 54.2% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In NV, 81 of 145 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 55.9% of this state's fallen. That is 1.7 percentage points above the national rate of 54.2%.
At Carlin Police Department, 1 of 2 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 50% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Adolph H. "Dolph" Berning's cause is highlighted.
How Adolph H. "Dolph" Berning Compares
Offender Outcome
Executed in 1944
When Felonious Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. Adolph H. "Dolph" Berning is highlighted in Aug.
Weapons Used Against Officers
Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. Adolph H. "Dolph" Berning was killed by handgun.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
1 officer from Carlin Police Department are honored on badge.nw.
