Walter A. Staley

Temple Police Department — Temple, TX

Felonious

End of Watch June 26, 1962

Age 49

Tour of Duty 16 yrs

The Vigil Panel 97 ›

Gender Male

Incident Service The Sacrifice Department 3

Incident

Lieutenant Walter Staley was shot and killed as he pulled into the parking lot of a local service station. The service station was being robbed by a man who had just robbed three other service stations and had taken a total of four hostages from the other robberies. After shooting Lieutenant Staley the man pulled his body from the patrol car and forced one of the hostages to drive them away from the scene. The man was arrested minutes later as he attempted to evade a road block. He was charged with murder and armed robbery. On October 10, 1962, a jury said the suspect, 22, was sane when he murdered Lieutenant Staley, but became insane in jail while awaiting his trial. The judge ordered he be committed in the mental hospital at Rusk. If he was ever declared sane he would be tried for murder and robbery. Lieutenant Staley had been with the agency for 6 years.

Survivors

He was survived by his wife and son.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier: BO-US-TX-0A0AC54D
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 never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Lieutenant Staley gave the Temple Police Department 16 years.
Thank you for your service to the Temple community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Lieutenant Staley.

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

Agency

Department Temple Police Department

Location Temple, TX

Platform Identity tpd.bell.tx.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch June 26, 1962

Tour of Duty 16 yrs

Age 49

Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious

Weapon Handgun; Luger

Offender Committed

Lieutenant Walter A. Staley is one of 17,623 officers killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 54.2% of all 32,508 officers honored here.

In TX, 1,463 of 2,421 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 60.4% of this state's fallen. That is 6.2 percentage points above the national rate of 54.2%.

At Temple Police Department, 2 of 4 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 50% of this agency's fallen.

Temple Police Department

of 4 officers

50% Felonious

TX — Statewide

1,463

of 2,421 officers

60.4% Felonious

Nationwide

17,623

of 32,508 officers

54.2% Felonious