Iowa State Patrol, Iowa
End of Watch: Friday, February 19, 1954
Age: 29
Tour of Duty: 6 years, 6 months
Badge Number: 60
Cause of Death: Struck by vehicle
Date of Incident: February 18, 1954
Weapon Used: Not available
Suspect Info: Not available
Patrolman Harold DeGear was killed when he was crushed between his patrol car and another car during a traffic stop on 6th Street SW near 20th Avenue SW in Cedar Rapids.
As he wrote a ticket to the driver of the vehicle he had stopped another vehicle attempted to pass a truck and struck the rear the Trooper DeGear's patrol car. Patrolman DeGear was transported to a local hospital where he succumbed to his injuries the next day.
Patrolman DeGear was a U.S. Marine Corps combat veteran of both WWII and the Korean War. He had served with the Iowa Highway Patrol for 6-1/2 years. He was survived by his wife and 2-year-old son.