Roll of Honor
David Lee VanBuskirk
Incident
Police Officer Dave VanBuskirk died after falling during a night-time aerial rescue operation of a hiker on Mount Charleston.
The hiker had become disoriented and was stranded on a rock ledge near Mary Jane Falls. A Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department helicopter located the hiker and lowered Officer VanBuskirk to the location.
Officer VanBuskirk, a member of the Search and Rescue Section, attached the hiker to the hoist. As the helicopter began to raise the two to the helicopter, Officer VanBuskirk became detached from the line and fell to the canyon floor below.
Officer VanBuskirk had served with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department for 13 years.
Survivors
He is survived by his wife.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-NV-CF67B37F- 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.
Police Officer VanBuskirk gave the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department 13 years.
Thank you for your service to the Las Vegas community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Police Officer VanBuskirk.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Police Officer David Lee VanBuskirk 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 NV, 40 of 145 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 27.6% of this state's fallen. That is 3.4 percentage points below the national rate of 31%.
At Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, 8 of 24 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 33.3% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. David Lee VanBuskirk's cause is highlighted.
How David Lee VanBuskirk Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. David Lee VanBuskirk is highlighted in Jul.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
23 officers from Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
