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Correctional Officer

Harold P. Stites

United States Department of Justice - Federal Bureau of Prisons — Washington, DC

Veteran → Felonious

End of Watch May 2, 1946

Age 48

Tour of Duty 23 yrs

The Vigil Panel 183 · Column 2 · Line 11 ›

Gender Male

Incident Media Service The Sacrifice Military Memorials 1 Also Remembered Department 33

Incident

Correctional Officer Harold Officer Stites and Correctional Officer William A. Miller were shot and killed during an attempted prison escape at the Alcatraz Prison in California. Several inmates were able to gain control of the prison's arsenal and took nine guards hostage, locking them in two separate cells. The prisoners demanded the prison keys, which were all turned over except for the one that allowed access to the outside. The guards were able to conceal that key in a toilet. When the prisoners realized they were unable to escape, they began firing into the cells, wounding all of the officers. An assault team of other officers and United States Marines stormed the facility. During the ensuing battle, Officer Stites, a member of the rescue team, and six other officers were wounded. Officer Miller was among the original nine hostages and also died of his wounds. In all, 14 officers were wounded, and two were killed. Of the five leaders and organizers of the attempted escape, two were shot and killed. Two others were later executed for the murders, and one was sentenced to 99 years. One of the two executed was serving time for the murder of Detective Lemuel Savage of the Amarillo Police Department, Texas. The suspect was convicted of a federal kidnapping charge related to Detective Savage's murder and was sent to Alcatraz Prison to serve the time. The inmate sentenced to 99 years was 25-years-old, the youngest inmate in Alcatraz. He was paroled in 1973, however his parole was revoked twice for parole violations and he was sent back to prison. He died on October 3, 1988, at a medical center for federal inmates in Springfield, Missouri, from AIDS related complications. In 1936, Correctional Officer Stites was responsible for the prevention of another escape attempt from Alcatraz. Correctional Officer Stites was a United States Army WWI veteran and had served with the United States Department of Justice - Federal Bureau of Prisons for over 23 years. He was survived

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Added to badge.nw: August 2, 2026
Last updated: August 2, 2026

Honored here by 1 tribute.

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Also honored at salute.nw — U.S. Marine Corps. One record, 2 gates. Harold is one person.

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Tributes

I served 1985 to 1993. You served too, before the badge - different uniform, same idea. You go where you are sent and you do not get to pick the call.
Correctional Officer Stites gave the United States Department of Justice 23 years.
Thank you for your service. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, brother.

— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993

Agency

Department United States Department of Justice - Federal Bureau of Prisons

Type Federal Agency

Location Washington, DC

Platform Identity usdjfbpfed.fed.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch May 2, 1946

Tour of Duty 23 yrs

Age 48

Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious

Weapon Gun

Military Service

Harold P. Stites served in the U.S. Marine Corps before joining law enforcement.

View full service record on salute.nw →

The Sacrifice · Felonious

Harold is one of 15,743 officers killed feloniously in the United States, 57.1% of the 27,552 remembered there.

34,103 officers are remembered on this memorial. Each number below is one of them.

Compare against

Time

In 1946, 91 officers in the United States were killed feloniously, the 62nd heaviest of 213 years on record. The heaviest was 1921, with 248.

Every year on record · United States

Who

Harold was 48. Of the 14,219 killed feloniously in the United States whose age is recorded, half were between 31 and 47; the middle age was 38. Harold had served 23 years; the middle length of service was 6 years.

Age at death

Where he stood among them

Age by years of service

III

When

May holds 8% of these deaths in the United States; December holds the most, 9.4%. Thursdays: 14%.

By month

By day of the week

How

Felonious deaths account for 57.1% of all 27,552 deaths in the United States, the most common cause. The weapon recorded was gun, in 22.8% of these deaths.

Every cause

Weapons recorded