Robert Lee Jester

Miami Police Department — Miami, FL

Felonious

End of Watch November 18, 1933

Age 40

Tour of Duty 10 yrs

The Vigil Panel 67 ›

Gender Male

Incident Service The Sacrifice Department 38

Incident

Officer Robert Jester was shot and killed by two bank robbers in a shootout in downtown Miami. He and another officer recognized two men wanted for a bank robbery in Reading, Pennsylvania, as they entered the Seminole Hotel at 53 E. Flagler Street. When the officers ordered the men to stop they turned and opened fire fatally wounding Officer Jester. Officer Jester's partner returned fire killing one suspect and wounding the other. That wounded suspect escaped but was apprehended one hour later. The captured suspect, a 17-year-old boy, was convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison. In 1938 he was given the nickname Houdini after he escaped three times in one year. Each time he was captured within a few weeks in Colorado, Tennessee, and Pennsylvania. In 1952 he was added to the FBI's 10 Most Wanted list after he escaped from a prison work farm. He was apprehended one year later in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania. He was released from prison in 1958. Officer Jester had served with the Miami Police Department for 10 years.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier: BO-US-FL-6983CE7A
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.
Officer Jester gave the Miami Police Department 10 years.
Thank you for your service to the Miami community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Officer Jester.

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

Agency

Department Miami Police Department

Location Miami, FL

Platform Identity mpd.miamidade.fl.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch November 18, 1933

Tour of Duty 10 yrs

Age 40

Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious

Weapon Gun; Unknown type

Offender robbery

Officer Robert Lee Jester 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 FL, 539 of 1,008 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 53.5% of this state's fallen. That is 0.7 percentage points below the national rate of 54.2%.

At Miami Police Department, 20 of 39 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 51.3% of this agency's fallen.

Miami Police Department

of 39 officers

51.3% Felonious

FL — Statewide

539

of 1,008 officers

53.5% Felonious

Nationwide

17,623

of 32,508 officers

54.2% Felonious