Gerard T. Dowd
1962-1990
Trooper Gerard Dowd, 28, was killed in a fatal accident, September 11, 1990, when his patrol vehicle collided with a tractor-trailer at the intersection of Delaware Route 54 and Maryland 353. He was, at the time of his death, responding to an emergency call to assist a fellow officer at a fight in progress near Frankford, Delaware. Gerry Dowd was assigned to the patrol division at Troop 5, Bridgeville. As flags waved in the breezy afternoon and a bagpipe player filled the air with the song “Amazing Grace”, Trooper Dowd was buried, September 15, 1990, at Lady Lourdes Cemetery, Seaford. Putting perspective to the funeral, Sergeant David Citro, P.I.O., stated, “We had one funeral six months ago for a trooper and we hadn’t had one in years. People are just stunned by it (Dowd’s death). It allows us to sit back and reflect on how precious life is.” Trooper Dowd is survived by his parents, Robert F. and Jean Cameron; two brothers Robert J. and Frank Jr., and three sisters, Molly, Katy and Ann. (Photo Gallery)

Robert H. Bell
1942-1993
On January 14, 1981, while on duty with the Delaware State Police, Corporal Robert Bell saw a young man preparing to commit suicide by jumping off the Cranston Heights Bridge in Wilmington. He intervened and pulled the young man to safety but, eventually, lost his own life because of the incident. Twelve years later, Corporal Bell died from complications of A.I.D.S., received from a blood transfusion, a result of surgery for injuries he sustained in the heroic rescue. Corporal Robert Bell’s wife, Linda, relates in a testimonial to her husband that, “…one day Bob says let’s take a ride. So Bob, myself, and our four children hop in the car and off we go. Next thing I know, we pull up to the old Troop 6 (Troop 2A) and he says, ‘I’m going in for an application. I’m going to be a trooper.’ His dream came true on January 15, 1971. He was, at this time, 29 years old. Myself and a few others took turns shuttling Bob and other fellow troopers, who lived close by, back and forth to the Academy. Bob protected us the best he could from all the tragedies in the world and selected to tell me and the children happy aspects of the job. He never bragged of his deeds and on a number of occasions was cited for heroism which made us very proud. In the summer of 1985 Bob went to give blood, and we were later informed he was H.I.V. positive. He had received tainted blood from a man who was also H.I.V. from a tainted blood supply. Bob became the first person infected through a transfusion from another person affected through a transfusion. As the years wore on and the disease started taking its toll on him. He eventually lost his struggle on September 7, 1993: this trooper, this husband, this father, this hero. All the children are grown and have families of their own. George is a New Castle County police officer; Kim is a Trustee for the Northern Region for C.O.P.S.; Scott is a plumber’s apprentice; and Daniel is a landscaper.”