Harlingen Police Department, Texas
End of Watch: Wednesday, October 2, 1974
Age: 20
Tour of Duty: 3 months
Badge Number: Not available
Cause of Death: Aircraft accident
Date of Incident: October 2, 1974
Weapon Used: Not available
Suspect Info: Not available
Dispatcher Douglas Dodson was killed in a helicopter crash shortly after takeoff.
He was acting as observer for Patrolman Humberto Avila of the Mission Police Department. Patrolman Avila was also killed in the crash that occurred at Harlingen Airport.
It was later determined that the cause of the crash was due to the use of the wrong type of bolts.