Arthur Joe Lavender Jr.

El Paso Police Department — El Paso, TX

Veteran → Accident

End of Watch December 16, 1966

Age 35

Tour of Duty 13 yrs

The Vigil Panel 102 ›

Gender Male

Incident Service The Sacrifice Military Department 33

Incident

Patrolman Arthur Lavender was killed when his police motorcycle was struck by a vehicle at Magoffin Avenue, near Brown Street. He had just finished his shift and was heading home, driving in the middle lane of a one-way street. A car driving next to him made a sudden left-hand turn from the right lane, striking Patrolman Lavender's motorcycle. The motorcycle skidded 94 feet east after the impact, flipped over three times, struck the north curb of Magoffin and then slid into a parked car. When the motorcycle finally came to rest, it lay on top of the police officer. The officer was transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival. The driver of the other vehicle was arrested at the scene of the accident and charged with murder with a motor vehicle. Patrolman Lavender had served with the agency for 13 years and had previously served with the United States Marine Corps in the Korean War. His brother was a police officer with the traffic division. He is by his wife, five children, sister, brother, and grandmother.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier: BO-US-TX-D67F909C
Stewardship: Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
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. Arthur 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.
Patrolman Lavender gave the El Paso Police Department 13 years.
Thank you for your service to the El Paso community, and for your service before it. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, brother.

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

Agency

Department El Paso Police Department

Type Other

Location El Paso, El Paso County, TX

Platform Identity eppd.elpaso.tx.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch December 16, 1966

Tour of Duty 13 yrs

Age 35

Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Accident

Military Service

Arthur Joe Lavender Jr. served in the U.S. Marine Corps before joining law enforcement.

View full service record on salute.nw →

Patrolman Arthur Joe Lavender Jr. is one of 1 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 0% of all 97,759 officers honored here.

In TX, 657 of 2,421 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 27.1% of this state's fallen. That is 27.1 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

At El Paso Police Department, 7 of 34 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 20.6% of this agency's fallen.

El Paso Police Department

of 34 officers

20.6% Accident

TX — Statewide

657

of 2,421 officers

27.1% Accident

Nationwide

of 97,759 officers

0% Accident