Richard Dale Cottle
Agency patch
Senior Trooper

Richard Dale Cottle

Accident
End of Watch May 9, 2001
Age 51
Tour of Duty 30 yrs
The Vigil Panel 330 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Senior Trooper Richard Cottle was killed in an automobile collision when his cruiser slammed into the rear of a tractor-trailer on I-35 just north of Waco during morning fog.

The semi had just been involved in a crash with another tractor-trailer and was blocking a travel lane when the collision occurred. Trooper Cottle, who was assigned to the Motor-vehicle Inspection Section, was on his way to Dallas to testify in a court case.

Trooper Cottle had served with the Texas Department of Public Safety for almost 30 years. He is survived by his wife and four children. One of his sons also served with the Texas Department of Public Safety.

Survivors

He is survived by his wife and four children.

In Our Keeping

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Added to badge.nw
August 2, 2026
Last updated
August 2, 2026

Honored here by 1 tribute.

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Tributes

30 years. You could have gone home.
Senior Trooper Cottle gave the Texas Department of Public Safety 30 years. Still answering calls at the end.
Thank you for your service to the people of Texas. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Senior Trooper Cottle.

— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993

Agency

Type Highway Patrol
Location Austin, Travis County, TX
Platform Identity tdpsthp.tx.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch May 9, 2001
Tour of Duty 30 yrs
Age 51
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Accident

The Sacrifice · Accident

Richard is one of 8,275 officers lost to accidents in the United States, 30% of the 27,551 remembered there.

34,117 officers are remembered on this memorial. Each number below is one of them.

  1. See the roll
  2. See the roll
Compare against
I

Time

In 2001, 77 officers in the United States were lost to accidents, the 31st heaviest of 174 years on record. The heaviest was 1929, with 118.

Every year on record · United States
II

Who

Richard was 51. Of the 7,718 lost to accidents in the United States whose age is recorded, half were between 29 and 46; the middle age was 36. Richard had served 30 years; the middle length of service was 6 years.

Age at death
Where he stood among them
Age by years of service
III

When

May holds 8.6% of these deaths in the United States; August holds the most, 9.5%. Wednesdays: 14.5%.

By month
By day of the week
IV

How

Accident deaths account for 30% of all 27,551 deaths in the United States, the 2nd most common cause.

Every cause
Weapons recorded
V

His people

Texas Department of Public Safety - Texas Highway Patrol has 96 officers remembered here, Richard among them.

Across the years
VI

Where

Senior Trooper Richard Dale Cottle

Texas Department of Public Safety - Texas Highway Patrol · End of Watch May 9, 2001

Where the Name Is Cut

National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial · Panel 5-E

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