Clarence Dietzel, Sr.

Saginaw Police Department — Saginaw, MI

Felonious

End of Watch December 10, 1950

Age 53

Tour of Duty 20 yrs

The Vigil Panel 87 ›

Gender Male

Incident Service The Sacrifice Department 7

Incident

Sergeant Clarence Dietzel was shot and fatally wounded, and Captain Daniel Waters was killed in a gunfight with an ex-convict. The suspect was wanted for shooting at police the previous night when they responded to a local bar where he had caused a disturbance. Sergeant Dietzel and Captain Waters were waiting at the Bancroft Hotel for the suspect and his girlfriend, who had left her son at the hotel. When the pair drove up, they fired at the officers, and a gunfight ensued. Captain Waters died at the scene. The suspects escaped. Minutes later, when police forced the couple to pull over, they found that the suspect was critically wounded. He died in the hospital a short time later. Sergeant Dietzel was transported to Saginaw General Hospital, where he succumbed to his wounds two days later. The suspect was a parolee who had been released a month earlier. It was later discovered that he and his girlfriend had murdered a man in Wayne, Michigan, a month earlier, stolen his vehicle, and had been on a robbery spree throughout the area. Sergeant Dietzel had served with the Saginaw Police Department for 20 years.

Survivors

He was survived by his wife and two daughters.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier: BO-US-MI-7EE4AA13
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

20 years. You could have gone home.
Sergeant Dietzel gave the Saginaw Police Department 20 years. Still answering calls at the end.
Thank you for your service to the Saginaw community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Sergeant Dietzel.

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

Agency

Department Saginaw Police Department

Location Saginaw, MI

Platform Identity spd.saginaw.mi.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch December 10, 1950

Tour of Duty 20 yrs

Age 53

Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious

Weapon Gun; Unknown type

Offender Shot and killed

Sergeant Clarence Dietzel, Sr. 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 MI, 426 of 718 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 59.3% of this state's fallen. That is 5.1 percentage points above the national rate of 54.2%.

At Saginaw Police Department, 6 of 8 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 75% of this agency's fallen.

Saginaw Police Department

of 8 officers

75% Felonious

MI — Statewide

426

of 718 officers

59.3% Felonious

Nationwide

17,623

of 32,508 officers

54.2% Felonious