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 82 ›

Gender Male

Incident Service The Sacrifice Military 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 He was paroled in 1973, however his parole was revoked twice for parole violations and he was sent back to prison.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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Permanent identifier: BO-US-FED-166DE356
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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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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 →

Correctional Officer Harold P. Stites is one of 1 officers killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 0% of all 97,759 officers honored here.

In DC, 754 of 1,419 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 53.1% of this state's fallen. That is 53.1 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

At United States Department of Justice - Federal Bureau of Prisons, 26 of 34 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 76.5% of this agency's fallen.

United States Department of Justice - Federal Bureau of Prisons

of 34 officers

76.5% Felonious

DC — Statewide

754

of 1,419 officers

53.1% Felonious

Nationwide

of 97,759 officers

0% Felonious