Roll of Honor
Incident
Police Officer Justin Scherlen succumbed to injuries sustained 11 months earlier when his patrol car was struck head-on by another vehicle near the intersection of SW 34th Avenue and Georgia Street.
The collision caused Officer Scherlen to become trapped inside of his vehicle for approximately one hour as rescue personnel attempted to extricate him. He was transported to a local hospital in critical condition. He subsequently underwent numerous surgeries and continuous rehabilitation following the crash. He subsequently suffered a complication and died while on a family trip in New Mexico on August 4th, 2016.
Officer Scherlen had served with the Amarillo Police Department for 11 years and was assigned to the Uniformed Division. He also served on the agency's Honor Guard and Dive Team.
Survivors
He is survived by his wife and four children.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-TX-777431D6- 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.
Police Officer Scherlen gave the Amarillo Police Department 11 years.
Thank you for your service to the Amarillo community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Police Officer Scherlen.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Police Officer Justin Ryan Scherlen is one of 10,088 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 31% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In TX, 653 of 2,421 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 27% of this state's fallen. That is 4 percentage points below the national rate of 31%.
At Amarillo Police Dept., 3 of 16 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 18.8% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Justin Ryan Scherlen's cause is highlighted.
How Justin Ryan Scherlen Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Justin Ryan Scherlen is highlighted in Aug.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
15 officers from Amarillo Police Dept. are honored on badge.nw.
