Roll of Honor
Incident
Special Officer Rollin Tanner died after being mauled by two lions at the Liberty Park Zoo.
He was detailed to a parade honoring Charles Lindbergh, who had flown the famed Spirit of St. Louis to Salt Lake City. The parade ended at Liberty Park and was attended by thousands of spectators. The large crowd along with noise from the sirens and bands agitated the usually docile lions in nearby cages.
Officer Tanner, who regularly petted the lions while walking his beat, reached in to pet them and calm then down. One of the lions bit Officer Tanner's hand and pulled him against the bars. The second lion also attacked him. A citizen used a metal rod to push the lions away from Officer Tanner, who was pulled to safety.
He developed blood poisoning as a result of the wound and died on September 10th, 1927.
Officer Tanner had previously served as sheriff of the Beaver County Sheriff's Office and with the United States Marshals Service. He had also previously served one term as a state senator.
Officer Tanner was survived by his wife and three children.
Survivors
Officer Tanner was survived by his wife and three children.
In Our Keeping
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- 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 never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Special Officer Tanner served with the Salt Lake City Police Department.
Thank you for your service to the Salt Lake City community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Special Officer Tanner.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Special Officer Rollin R. Tanner 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 UT, 49 of 138 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 35.5% of this state's fallen. That is 4.5 percentage points above the national rate of 31%.
At Salt Lake City Police Department, 9 of 23 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 39.1% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Rollin R. Tanner's cause is highlighted.
How Rollin R. Tanner Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Rollin R. Tanner is highlighted in Sep.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
22 officers from Salt Lake City Police Department are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
