Roll of Honor
Incident
Probation Officer David Poling drowned in the Ohio River while chasing a suspect who had fled from a traffic stop initiated by the Gallipolis Police Department.
As officers chased the suspect, he jumped into the river and swam to Gallipolis Island.
Officer Poling entered the river in pursuit of the suspect but encountered difficulties approximately halfway to the island. A city police officer and a state trooper attempted to rescue him but were unsuccessful.
The suspect was located on the island several hours later and taken into custody. He was convicted of involuntary manslaughter and sentenced to four years in prison.
Officer Poling was a United States Marine Corps veteran who had served with the Gallipolis Police Department and previously the Gallia County Sheriff's Office.
Survivors
Survivors include his wife and two young children.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-OH-F26E0B28- 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.
Probation Officer Poling served with the Gallipolis Municipal Court.
Thank you for your service to the Gallipolis community. Thank you 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
David Poling served in the Marine Corps (1996â2000) before joining law enforcement.
Probation Officer David Poling 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%.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. David Poling's cause is highlighted.
How David Poling Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. David Poling is highlighted in May.