A Dallas County detention officer was killed in an off-duty motorcycle crash earlier this month.
Detention Service Officer Dakendrick Neon Traylor, 35, died on December 14 and was killed in an off-duty accident, according to the Dallas County Sheriff’s Office’s announcement, confirmed on December 20.
“The Dallas County Sheriff’s Office confirms the death of Detention Service Officer Dakendrick Traylor. Dallas County Sheriff’s Office received information earlier this week that Detention Service Officer Dakendrick Traylor had been involved in an off-duty motorcycle accident and was killed. DSO Traylor was assigned to the Special Hospital Observation Team and was a member of the Dallas County Sheriff’s Office Honor Guard. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family during this difficult time. DSO Traylor will be missed by his sheriff’s office family,” the office stated in a Facebook post.
Additionally, the Dallas Police Department offered its condolences on December 20 in a post on X:
Traylor, born September 14, 1990, served with the sheriff’s office, which oversees detention facilities and supports public safety in one of Texas’ most populous counties. His obituary from Golden Gate Funeral Home notes he “was a deeply cherished individual, known for his loving, caring, and happy demeanor, as well as his strong family orientation.”
In 2024, 581 motorcyclists died in Texas, averaging one fatality per day, with more than half involving collisions with other vehicles. Common causes include drivers failing to see motorcycles or misjudging their speed, particularly at intersections where 40% of such fatalities occur, per TxDOT data.
Details of the crash, including location and circumstances, have not been publicly released.
The Texas Department of Public Safety has boosted patrols on state highways through the holidays to enforce seat belt use, combat driving while intoxicated, and curb speeding, as noted previously by The Dallas Express.