Roll of Honor
Incident
Officer Ronald Rotruck was killed in a cave-in of the West Tallmadge Parkway while attempting a rescue. A vehicle had fallen into the section of roadway that had collapsed, and the occupants, a woman, her daughter, and a neighbor's child, were trapped. Officer Rotruck and a civilian entered the hole using a rope being held by other bystanders. They managed to free the woman and one of the girls, but as the cave-in continued to expand, Officer Rotruck, the citizen, and the girl were killed. Tallamedge Parkway was renamed Memorial Parkway when the road reopened. Officer Rotruck was a United States Army veteran and had served with the Akron Police Department for 5 years. He was survived by his wife and three young daughters. Officer Rotruck and the citizen were awarded the Carnegie Medal for Heroism.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife and three young daughters.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-OH-AF50EEE2- 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 served 1985 to 1993. You served too, before the badge - different uniform, same idea. You go where you are sent and you do not get to pick the call.
Officer Rotruck gave the Akron Police Department 5 years.
Thank you for your service to the Akron community, and for your service before it. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, brother.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Military Service
Ronald D. Rotruck served in the United States military before joining law enforcement. Full service record available on salute.nw.
Officer Ronald D. Rotruck 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 OH, 318 of 991 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 32.1% of this state's fallen. That is 1.1 percentage points above the national rate of 31%.
At Akron Police Department, 7 of 28 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 25% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Ronald D. Rotruck's cause is highlighted.
How Ronald D. Rotruck Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Ronald D. Rotruck is highlighted in Jul.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
27 officers from Akron Police Department are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
