Roll of Honor
Incident
During the months of January and February of 1912, a minor epidemic of neisseria meningitis hit the City of Fort Worth, as well as several other Texas cities. The city quarantined citizens, refusing to allow train tickets to be sold from Fort Worth to other cities. Police officers, who already worked 12-hour shifts, were tasked with additional responsibilities. These responsibilities included enforcing quarantines and dealing with the sick and dying, and in some cases, dealing with the bodies of the victims.
Officer J.R. Dodd was assigned to Police Beat #4, known as "Hell's Half Acre," which was at the center of the outbreak. On Thursday evening, January 25, at about 9:00 p.m., Officer Dodd became ill while at dinner and was severely nauseated. He went home, but reported for duty at 9:00 a.m. the next morning on Friday, January 26. Officer Dodd worked until about 4:00 p.m. when he telephoned the desk sergeant to advise him that he was ill and unable to work. Officer Dodd’s condition deteriorated and a doctor was called in. The doctor pronounced Dodd as being afflicted with meningitis and began treating him for the disease. Officer Dodd became unconscious at around 4:00 a.m. Officer Dodd never regained consciousness and died at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, January 27, 1912. Prior to this illness, Officer Dodd had maintained a perfect attendance record for the prior 10 years.
The present Medical Director for the Tarrant County Health Department and the Fort Worth Health Authority reviewed the 1912 records and concluded that the death of Officer Dodd was directly related to his exposure to the disease while in the performance of his duties as a police officer.
Officer Dodd was buried in the Oakwood Cemetery in Fort Worth.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife, Elizabeth "Lizzie" Dodd.
In Our Keeping
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BO-US-TX-2B2DC92F- Stewardship
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- 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.
Police Officer Dodd gave the Fort Worth Police Department 10 years.
Thank you for your service to the Fort Worth community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Police Officer Dodd.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Police Officer James R. Dodd is one of 2,974 officers lost to illness connected to their service across the full record of this memorial — 9.1% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In TX, 204 of 2,421 officers were lost to illness connected to their service — 8.4% of this state's fallen. That is 0.7 percentage points below the national rate of 9.1%.
At Fort Worth Police Dept., 4 of 59 officers on record were lost to illness connected to their service — 6.8% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Illness compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. James R. Dodd's cause is highlighted.
How James R. Dodd Compares
When Illness Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Illness deaths across the full memorial record. James R. Dodd is highlighted in Jan.
Others Who Wore This Badge
58 officers from Fort Worth Police Dept. are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
