Roll of Honor
Incident
Officer Preston Hale was killed in an aircraft accident while returning from a search for an abduction suspect. As he approached the airport the plane he was piloting crashed for unknown reasons his aircraft crashed just west of Cockrell Hill, Texas, south of Jefferson Boulevard Officer Hale was a United States Army Air Force veteran of WWII and had served with the Dallas Police Department for over 13 years.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife, three sons, one daughter, parents, five sisters, and one brother.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-TX-385B8D28- 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 Hale gave the Dallas Police Department 13 years.
Thank you for your service to the Dallas 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
Preston Daniel Hale served in the United States military before joining law enforcement. Full service record available on salute.nw.
Officer Preston Daniel Hale 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 TX, 653 of 2,421 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 27% of this state's fallen. That is 4 percentage points below the national rate of 31%.
At Dallas Police Department, 30 of 95 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 31.6% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Preston Daniel Hale's cause is highlighted.
How Preston Daniel Hale Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Preston Daniel Hale is highlighted in Feb.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
94 officers from Dallas Police Department are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
