Roll of Honor
Incident
Patrolman Dayton Foster succumbed to injuries sustained five days earlier when he fell off of a 25-foot cliff while struggling with a suspect near the man's home on Gardner Street (modern-day Garrison Avenue). He and two other officers had responded to the home for a domestic disturbance call and placed both parties under arrest. As they searched the house the male subject fled with Patrolman Foster in pursuit. Patrolman Foster caught him a short distance away and the two began to struggle, at which point they fell down the cliff. The suspect pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter in intermediate court and was sentenced to serve six months in the county jail and fined $25 plus costs. Patrolman Foster had served with the Charles Police Department for only six weeks.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife, daughter, and five sons.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-WV-2DBA74A8- 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.
Patrolman Foster served with the Charleston Police Department.
Thank you for your service to the Charleston community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Patrolman Foster.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Patrolman Dayton Foster 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 WV, 54 of 232 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 23.3% of this state's fallen. That is 7.7 percentage points below the national rate of 31%.
At Charleston Police Dept., 3 of 9 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. Dayton Foster's cause is highlighted.
How Dayton Foster Compares
Offender Outcome
Sentenced to 6 months
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Dayton Foster is highlighted in May.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
8 officers from Charleston Police Dept. are honored on badge.nw.
