Roll of Honor
Incident
Officer Bates was struck and killed by an automobile while crossing a busy street to assist a stranded motorist. He had been with the agency for nine years.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-WI-0383A2B4- 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.
Police Officer Bates gave the Milwaukee Police Department 9 years.
Thank you for your service to the Milwaukee community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Police Officer Bates.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Police Officer Elmer A. Bates 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 WI, 124 of 317 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 39.1% of this state's fallen. That is 8.1 percentage points above the national rate of 31%.
At Milwaukee Police Department, 23 of 69 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 33.3% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Elmer A. Bates's cause is highlighted.
How Elmer A. Bates Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Elmer A. Bates is highlighted in Aug.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
68 officers from Milwaukee Police Department are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
