Roll of Honor
Incident
Chief of Police James Wulf drowned while attempting to rescue a man whose car became trapped while attempting to drive across a low water crossing on Highway 127 over the Sabinal River. Rescuers were waiting for a helicopter to arrive, but Chief Wulf thought the water was rising too fast and volunteered to go to the car on a rope. He was able to rescue the elderly man but lost his grip while returning to shore and drowned. Chief Wulf was a United States Marine Corps Vietnam War veteran. He had served with the Sabinal Police Department as the chief of police for six months and had previously served with the Uvalde County Sheriff's Office.
Survivors
He was survived by his child, mother, brother, and two sisters.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-TX-C1C64993- 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.
Chief of Police Wulf gave the Sabinal Police Department 7 years.
Thank you for your service to the Sabinal 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
James R. Wulf served in the Marine Corps (1968â1970) before joining law enforcement.
Chief of Police James R. Wulf 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. James R. Wulf's cause is highlighted.
How James R. Wulf Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. James R. Wulf is highlighted in Dec.