Samuel Reed

Iowa Department of Corrections — Des Moines, IA

Felonious Veteran

End of Watch April 11, 1969

Age 47

Tour of Duty 15 yrs

The Vigil Panel 105 ›

Gender Male

Incident Service The Sacrifice Department 13

Incident

Correctional Officer Samuel Reed was stabbed to death by an inmate at the Iowa State Penitentiary in Fort Madison. The inmate, 31, had been sentenced to prison in 1960 for 25 years for a robbery conviction. In 1965 he received an additional 40 years for stabbing a fellow inmate to death. An additional life term was added on April 24th, 1970, when he was convicted of Officer Reed's murder. In 1981 during a prison riot, he took a dozen staff members hostage, but none were killed. He was considered the most dangerous inmate in the Iowa prison system. Officer Reed was a United States Navy WWII veteran and had served with the Iowa Department of Corrections for 15 years.

Survivors

He was survived by a daughter.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier: BO-US-IA-AE72DD81
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.

Are you family? This record can be claimed and maintained by those who knew Samuel. Claim this record.

This page is permanent and free. No fee to view it, no advertising, no tracking, and no account required. It will not be taken down.

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.
Correctional Officer Reed gave the Iowa Department of Corrections 15 years.
Thank you for your service to the people of Iowa, and for your service before it. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, brother.

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

Agency

Department Iowa Department of Corrections

Location Des Moines, IA

Platform Identity idcorr.polk.ia.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch April 11, 1969

Tour of Duty 15 yrs

Age 47

Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious

Weapon Edged weapon; Shank

Offender Sentenced to life

Military Service

Samuel Reed served in the United States military before joining law enforcement. Full service record available on salute.nw.

Correctional Officer Samuel Reed 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 IA, 129 of 226 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 57.1% of this state's fallen. That is 2.9 percentage points above the national rate of 54.2%.

At Iowa Department of Corrections, 6 of 14 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 42.9% of this agency's fallen.

Iowa Department of Corrections

of 14 officers

42.9% Felonious

IA — Statewide

129

of 226 officers

57.1% Felonious

Nationwide

17,623

of 32,508 officers

54.2% Felonious