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Incident
Officer Kirk Huffstetler was killed in an automobile crash on Marine Drive near the Columbia-Edgewater Country Club while responding to apprehend a robbery suspect.
The suspect had called police from a cell phone to report he committed the robbery, but when officers arrived he was gone. The suspect called a second time and this call was tracked. Officer Huffstetler was responding with lights and sirens to where the suspect was tracked to when his patrol car struck a concrete barrier.
The subject was later apprehended.
Officer Huffstetler had served with the Portland Police Bureau for seven months and had previously served with the Portland Public Schools Police Department for over six years.
Survivors
He is survived by his expectant wife and two children.
In Our Keeping
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- Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
- Added to badge.nw
- August 2, 2026
- Last updated
- August 2, 2026
Honored here by 1 tribute.
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Tributes
I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Officer Huffstetler gave the Portland Police Bureau 7 years.
Thank you for your service to the Portland community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Officer Huffstetler.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
The Sacrifice · Accident
Portland Police Bureau has lost 31 officers; 16 of them lost to accidents.
Kirk is one of 66 officers lost to accidents in OR, 33.5% of the 197 remembered there.
Kirk is one of 8,276 officers lost to accidents in the United States, 30% of the 27,551 remembered there.
Kirk is one of 10,096 officers lost to accidents worldwide, 29.6% of the 34,102 remembered here.
34,102 officers are remembered on this memorial. Each number below is one of them.
Time
In 2002, 1 officer at Portland Police Bureau was lost to accidents, the 3rd heaviest of 14 years on record. The heaviest was 1914, with 2.
In 2002, 2 officers in OR were lost to accidents, the 4th heaviest of 45 years on record. The heaviest was 1961, with 3.
In 2002, 73 officers in the United States were lost to accidents, the 38th heaviest of 174 years on record. The heaviest was 1929, with 118.
In 2002, 91 officers worldwide were lost to accidents, the 35th heaviest of 200 years on record. The heaviest was 1930, with 131.
Who
Kirk was 32. Of the 16 lost to accidents at Portland Police Bureau whose age is recorded, half were between 30 and 38.3; the middle age was 33.5. Kirk had served 7 years; the middle length of service was 5.2 years.
Kirk was 32. Of the 59 lost to accidents in OR whose age is recorded, half were between 31 and 44.5; the middle age was 36. Kirk had served 7 years; the middle length of service was 5 years.
Kirk was 32. 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. Kirk had served 7 years; the middle length of service was 6 years.
Kirk was 32. Of the 9,452 lost to accidents worldwide whose age is recorded, half were between 29 and 45; the middle age was 36. Kirk had served 7 years; the middle length of service was 6 years.
When
May holds 25% of these deaths at Portland Police Bureau, more than any other month. Sundays: 18.8%.
May holds 16.7% of these deaths in OR, more than any other month. Sundays: 10.6%.
May holds 8.6% of these deaths in the United States; August holds the most, 9.4%. Sundays: 14%.
May holds 8.4% of these deaths worldwide; August holds the most, 9.3%. Sundays: 14%.
How
Accident deaths account for 51.6% of all 31 deaths at Portland Police Bureau, the most common cause.
Accident deaths account for 33.5% of all 197 deaths in OR, the 2nd most common cause.
Accident deaths account for 30% of all 27,551 deaths in the United States, the 2nd most common cause.
Accident deaths account for 29.6% of all 34,102 deaths worldwide, the 2nd most common cause.
His people
Portland Police Bureau has 31 officers remembered here, Kirk among them.
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Thomas G. O'Connor
Aug 30, 1867
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Charles F. Schoppe
Jun 13, 1874
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Samuel Smyth Young
Sep 23, 1908
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Albert W. Moe
Jan 9, 1914
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James R. White
Nov 17, 1914
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Ralph H. Stahl
Jan 27, 1915
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James C. Gill
Nov 30, 1915
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John J. McCarthy
Jul 21, 1916
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Andrew James Laugeson
May 12, 1917
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Glenn Logan Litzenberg
Apr 19, 1918
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Peter Walter Jost Oct 22, 1918
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Jerome Palmer
Nov 17, 1920
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James David Wright
Jan 21, 1923
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Robert E. Drake
Oct 11, 1930
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Charles M. White
Jun 30, 1934
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Phillip R. Johnson
May 19, 1941
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Charles E. Vincent
Mar 22, 1942
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James A. Hines
Nov 4, 1945
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Gilbert Haven Horton
Dec 23, 1946
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Roy Edward Mizner
Feb 18, 1956
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Vernon Jacob Stroeder
Feb 18, 1956
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Roger L. Davies
Apr 18, 1961
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Robert Paul Murray
May 2, 1962
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Robert R. Ferron, Jr.
May 23, 1964
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Stephen Michael Owens
Sep 23, 1973
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Dennis Allen Darden
Aug 9, 1974
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David Wayne Crowther
Dec 27, 1979
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Stanley Dale Pounds
Jul 18, 1984
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Thomas Layton Jeffries
Jul 21, 1997
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Colleen Ann Waibel
Jan 27, 1998
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Kirk Robert Huffstetler
May 26, 2002
Where
Where the Name Is Cut
National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial · Panel 63-W
What is kept
Photographs, film, sound and papers — what survived a life.
Others Who Wore This Badge
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