Roll of Honor
Incident
Detective Lem Savage succumbed to gunshot wounds he received when he was transporting two prisoners to jail. He had arrested two subjects when he found them burglarizing a store. He searched the two men before transporting them but missed a handgun hidden in one of the man's pants. During the transport, one of the men produced the gun and shot Detective Savage near the Amarillo Police Station on West 4th Avenue. As the suspect fled, he kidnapped three other people before being apprehended. Detective Savage died from his wounds at St. Anthony's Hospital three days later. The suspect was an escapee from prison. He was convicted of federal kidnapping charges and sent to Alcatraz Prison. While in Alcatraz, the subject was part of an escape attempt that ultimately left Correctional Officer Harold Stites and Correctional William Miller of the Federal Bureau of Prisons dead from gunshot wounds. The suspect was executed in 1948 for his role in the two murders. Detective Savage had served with the Amarillo Police Department for three years and the city of Amarillo for 16 years.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife, son, and two daughters.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-TX-C5B1AB9D- 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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Tributes
I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Detective Savage gave the Amarillo Police Department 3 years.
Thank you for your service to the Amarillo community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Detective Savage.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Detective Lemuel Dodd Savage 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 97,772 officers honored here.
In TX, 1,461 of 2,422 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 60.3% of this state's fallen. That is 60.3 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.
At Amarillo Police Department, 10 of 16 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 62.5% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Lemuel Dodd Savage's cause is highlighted.
How Lemuel Dodd Savage Compares
When Felonious Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. Lemuel Dodd Savage is highlighted in Mar.
Weapons Used Against Officers
Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. Lemuel Dodd Savage was killed by handgun.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
15 officers from Amarillo Police Department are honored on badge.nw.
