Roll of Honor
Incident
Auxiliary Officer Caywood was killed during a vehicle pursuit when the car he was riding in was run off of a dirt road at approximately 2300 hours. He and the police chief were watching a local convenience store that had been burglarized the previous week when they observed a car pull in behind it. Officer Caywood and the chief, who were in the chief's personal car, went to investigate. When the driver of the other vehicle saw the officers he fled.
The officers pursued the suspects out of town and down a dirt road. As the chief attempted to overtake the car on the dirt road the driver of the other vehicle rammed the car, causing it to flip over. Auxiliary Officer Caywood was thrown from the car and pinned underneath it. The chief, although injured, was able to walk to a farmhouse one mile away and call for help. Officer Caywood had died by the time help arrived. The juvenile suspects were apprehended by highway patrol officers later in the morning.
Auxiliary Officer Caywood was a WWII veteran and also served as a member of the Rockdale Volunteer Fire Department for 14 years.
Auxiliary Officer Caywood was a WWII veteran and also served as a member of the Rockdale Volunteer Fire Department for 14 years.
Survivors
He was survived by his mother, six brothers and two sisters.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-TX-80FC2DB0- Stewardship
- Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
- Added to badge.nw
- April 2, 2026
- Last updated
- July 23, 2026
Honored here by 1 sentinel - 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.
Auxiliary Police Officer Caywood served with the Rockdale Police Department.
Thank you for your service to the Rockdale community. Thank you for your service before it. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, brother.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Military Service
Reuben Caywood served in the United States military before joining law enforcement. Full service record available on salute.nw.
Auxiliary Police Officer Reuben Caywood is one of 10,088 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 31% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In TX, 653 of 2,421 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 27% of this state's fallen. That is 4 percentage points below the national rate of 31%.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Reuben Caywood's cause is highlighted.
How Reuben Caywood Compares
Offender Outcome
Apprehended
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Reuben Caywood is highlighted in Feb.