Harold A. Peterson, Sr.

Salt Lake City Police Department — Salt Lake City, UT

Accident Veteran →

End of Watch October 27, 1954

Age 54

Tour of Duty 23 yrs

The Vigil Panel 90 ›

Gender Male

Incident Service The Sacrifice Military Department 22

Incident

Patrolman Harold Peterson was killed in a motorcycle crash at the intersection of 13th East Street and 13th South Street around 10:00 a.m. Patrolman Peterson was traveling north on 13th East Street when a car traveling southbound turned left at 13th South Street, hitting his 3-wheel police motorcycle. He was thrown off his motorcycle and dragged a few feet. Patrolman Peterson was transported to Salt Lake General Hospital, where he was pronounced dead after arrival. In 1939, robbery suspects shot at him, but a pencil in his vest pocket deflected a bullet, saving his life. Patrolman Peterson was a United States Navy WWI veteran and had served with the Salt Lake City Police Department for 23 years.

Survivors

He was survived by his wife and son, who also served as a Salt Lake City police officer.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier: BO-US-UT-8324F8E9
Stewardship: Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
Added to badge.nw: August 2, 2026
Last updated: August 2, 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.
Patrolman Peterson gave the Salt Lake City Police Department 23 years.
Thank you for your service to the Salt Lake City 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

Department Salt Lake City Police Department

Type Police Department

Location Salt Lake City, Salt Lake County, UT

Platform Identity slpd.saltlake.ut.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch October 27, 1954

Tour of Duty 23 yrs

Age 54

Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Accident

Military Service

Harold A. Peterson, Sr. served in the the United States military before joining law enforcement.

View full service record on salute.nw →

Patrolman Harold A. Peterson, Sr. is one of 10,094 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 31% of all 32,586 officers honored here.

In UT, 49 of 138 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 35.5% of this state's fallen. That is 4.5 percentage points above the national rate of 31%.

At Salt Lake City Police Department, 9 of 23 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 39.1% of this agency's fallen.

Salt Lake City Police Department

of 23 officers

39.1% Accident

UT — Statewide

of 138 officers

35.5% Accident

Nationwide

10,094

of 32,586 officers

31% Accident