William James Dunlap
Agency patch
Sheriff

William James Dunlap

Felonious
End of Watch May 21, 1923
Age 40
Tour of Duty 11 mo
The Vigil Panel 45 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Sheriff William Dunlap was shot and killed while attempting to stop two robbery suspects in a stolen car. The two suspects engaged Sheriff Dunlap and other officers in a running gun battle through Albany, Oregon, and Sheriff Dunlap was mortally wounded. The two suspects were also wounded and were taken into custody by other officers. Sheriff Dunlap's killer was convicted of murder and hanged on January 4, 1924. Sheriff Dunlap had served with the Linn County Sheriff's Office for 11 months.

Survivors

He was survived by his wife, mother, and four sisters.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-OR-2EAD36C9
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.
Sheriff Dunlap served with the Linn County Sheriff's Office.
Thank you for your service to the Albany community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Sheriff Dunlap.

— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993

Agency

Location Albany, OR
Platform Identity lcso.linn.or.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch May 21, 1923
Tour of Duty 11 mo
Age 40
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious
Weapon Gun; Unknown type
Offender Executed in 1924

Sheriff William James Dunlap 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 OR, 115 of 197 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 58.4% of this state's fallen. That is 4.2 percentage points above the national rate of 54.2%.

At Linn County Sheriff's Office, 2 of 2 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 100% of this agency's fallen.

Linn County Sheriff's Office
2
of 2 officers
100% Felonious
OR — Statewide
115
of 197 officers
58.4% Felonious
Nationwide
17,623
of 32,508 officers
54.2% Felonious

National Cause Distribution

How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. William James Dunlap's cause is highlighted.

Felonious
17,623 (54.2%)
Accident
10,088 (31%)
Illness
2,974 (9.1%)
Cardiac
1,306 (4%)
Undetermined
260 (0.8%)
Suicide
256 (0.8%)
vehicular
1 (0%)

How William James Dunlap Compares

Age at End of Watch
40
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 39.0 years
Years of Service
0.9
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 8.5 years

Offender Outcome

Executed in 1924

When Felonious Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. William James Dunlap is highlighted in May.

Jan
1,392
Feb
1,295
Mar
1,373
Apr
1,517
May
1,505
Jun
1,443
Jul
1,587
Aug
1,516
Sep
1,553
Oct
1,371
Nov
1,447
Dec
1,624

Weapons Used Against Officers

Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. William James Dunlap was killed by gun; unknown type.

Gun; Unknown type
5,083
Handgun
2,077
Shotgun
922
Officer's handgun
909
Automobile; Alcohol involved
530
Rifle
518

Others Who Wore This Badge

1 officer from Linn County Sheriff's Office are honored on badge.nw.