Tony Lee Oliver

Springfield Police Department — Springfield, MO

Felonious

End of Watch January 2, 1932

Age 50

Tour of Duty 26 yrs

The Vigil Panel 63 ›

Gender Male

Incident Service The Sacrifice Department 7

Incident

Chief of Detectives Oliver was the last officer to be killed in raid. Chief Oliver attempted to pull back to a safer position while waiting for other officers to arrive with help when the suspects shot him in the back. Chief Oliver had served with the Springfield Police Department for 26 years and had served as Chief of Detective for two years. He was survived by his wife, three daughters and two sons, one of who would later serve as deputy sheriff of Greene County. Two brothers considered local petty burglars killed a total of seven Law Enforcement Officers. After they killed Town Marshal Mark Noe on June 2, 1929, a massive manhunt began for the suspects. The two suspects were located at the family farmhouse on January 2, 1932. They had come to town to visit their mother for the Christmas holiday. A raiding party of eleven officers was formed to arrest the two brothers. As the officers surrounded the farmhouse gunfire erupted and in the end six officers lay dead. The suspects escaped, and fled to Texas. They were located there by Houston Police and as police moved in the two suspects committed suicide.

Survivors

He was survived by his wife, three daughters and two sons, one of who would later serve as deputy sheriff of Greene County.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier: BO-US-MO-7B42182A
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

26 years. You could have gone home.
Chief of Detectives Oliver gave the Springfield Police Department 26 years. Still answering calls at the end.
Thank you for your service to the Springfield community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Chief of Detectives Oliver.

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

Agency

Department Springfield Police Department

Location Springfield, MO

Platform Identity spd.greene.mo.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch January 2, 1932

Tour of Duty 26 yrs

Age 50

Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious

Weapon Rifle

Offender Committed suicide

Chief of Detectives Tony Lee Oliver 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 MO, 516 of 813 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 63.5% of this state's fallen. That is 9.3 percentage points above the national rate of 54.2%.

At Springfield Police Department, 7 of 8 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 87.5% of this agency's fallen.

Springfield Police Department

of 8 officers

87.5% Felonious

MO — Statewide

516

of 813 officers

63.5% Felonious

Nationwide

17,623

of 32,508 officers

54.2% Felonious