Deputy Glenn M. Searles

Onondaga County Sheriff's

Date of Death: November 29, 2003

On November 29, 2003, Onondaga County Sheriff’s Deputy Glenn Searles was struck and killed by a passing vehicle while assisting a motorist with a disabled car on Route 481 in the Town of Dewitt. His death, along with a similar incident involving New York State Trooper Robert W. Ambrose, led to the creation of New York State’s “Ambrose–Searles Move Over Law”, signed in January 2011. Around 7:00 PM, Kristine Bell was driving southbound on Route 481 when her vehicle slid off the snow‑ and ice‑covered roadway into the median. A Dewitt Police Officer was dispatched, but Deputy Searles—on uniform patrol—cancelled the call and responded himself. After positioning his patrol vehicle on the inside edge of the road and activating his emergency lights, he exited to retrieve flares and his reflective vest from the trunk. A passing driver, traveling too fast for the hazardous conditions, lost control and entered the lane adjacent to Deputy Searles’ position. The vehicle struck both Deputy Searles and his patrol car, injuring all five passengers and fatally injuring Deputy Searles. Reflecting on the tragedy, Kristine Bell later said, “He lost his life trying to help me, and he didn’t even know who I was…”