Douglas Orville Krenz
Agency patch
Reserve Officer

Douglas Orville Krenz

Blaine Police Department — Blaine, WA
Accident Veteran →
End of Watch September 4, 1978
Age 26
The Vigil Panel 120 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Reserve Officer Douglas Krenz and Assistant Chief Larry Duronso were killed in an aircraft accident while searching for the body of a murder victim in Whatcom County. Officer Krenz, a licensed pilot, was piloting the single engine plane when it experienced engine trouble and lost altitude several minutes after taking off from a field four miles west of Lynden. The plane crashed as Officer Krenz attempted an emergency landing. Officer Krenz was a U.S. Army veteran.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-WA-1F4CA4B0
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.
Reserve Officer Krenz served with the Blaine Police Department.
Thank you for your service to the Blaine 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

Location Blaine, WA
Platform Identity blaipd.whatcom.wa.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch September 4, 1978
Age 26
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Accident

Military Service

Douglas Orville Krenz served in the Army (1976–1978) before joining law enforcement.

View full service record on salute.nw →

Reserve Officer Douglas Orville Krenz 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 WA, 111 of 339 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 32.7% of this state's fallen. That is 1.7 percentage points above the national rate of 31%.

At Blaine Police Department, 2 of 2 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 100% of this agency's fallen.

Blaine Police Department
2
of 2 officers
100% Accident
WA — Statewide
111
of 339 officers
32.7% Accident
Nationwide
10,088
of 32,508 officers
31% Accident

National Cause Distribution

How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Douglas Orville Krenz'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 Douglas Orville Krenz Compares

Age at End of Watch
26
This officer
Avg for Accident: 38.1 years

When Accident Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Douglas Orville Krenz is highlighted in Sep.

Jan
820
Feb
730
Mar
748
Apr
707
May
847
Jun
795
Jul
897
Aug
937
Sep
913
Oct
925
Nov
872
Dec
897

Incident Location

Others Who Wore This Badge

1 officer from Blaine Police Department are honored on badge.nw.