Roll of Honor
Incident
Dispatcher Douglas Dodson was killed in a helicopter crash shortly after takeoff.
He was acting as observer for Patrolman Humberto Avila of the Mission Police Department. Patrolman Avila was also killed in the crash that occurred at Harlingen Airport.
It was later determined that the cause of the crash was due to the use of the wrong type of bolts.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-TX-6C72A509- 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.
Dispatcher Dodson served with the Harlingen Police Department.
Thank you for your service to the Harlingen community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Dispatcher Dodson.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Dispatcher Douglas Lee Dodson 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%.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Douglas Lee Dodson's cause is highlighted.
How Douglas Lee Dodson Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Douglas Lee Dodson is highlighted in Oct.