Kenneth W. Harrison

Texas Department of Public Safety - Texas Highway Patrol — Austin, TX

Felonious Veteran

End of Watch June 8, 1963

Age 37

Tour of Duty 7 yrs

The Vigil Panel 98 ›

Gender Male

Incident Service The Sacrifice Department 94

Incident

Patrolman Kenneth Harrison was shot and killed while transporting a man and a woman to Gainesville, Texas. He had arrested the man for drunk driving after he came upon the couple' car crashed in a ditch a few miles from Gainesville. The couple were placed in the back seat of his cruiser because he already had another drunk he had arrested in the front seat. As they arrived in Gainesville the man, a 37-year-old Arizona ex-convict, pulled a pistol and shot Patrolman Harrison five times in the back. Patrolman Harrison's car crashed into a feed store one block from the jail, and both the man and the woman, 38, fled into the store. Responding officers exchanged shots with the two before taking them into custody. Three weeks later the killer's 17-year-old nephew came to the Gainesville Jail and said he wanted to visit his uncle. It was discovered he had a concealed revolver and was planning to attempt to help his uncle escape. On December 10, 1963, the man was convicted of murder and sentenced to life. Patrolman Harrison was WWII veteran and Purple Heart recipient.

Survivors

He had served with the Texas Highway Patrol for seven years and was survived by his wife and three children.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier: BO-US-TX-B882144D
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 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.
Patrolman Harrison gave the Texas Department of Public Safety 7 years.
Thank you for your service to the people of Texas, 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 Texas Department of Public Safety - Texas Highway Patrol

Location Austin, TX

Platform Identity tdpsthp.tx.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch June 8, 1963

Tour of Duty 7 yrs

Age 37

Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious

Weapon Handgun; .22 caliber

Offender Sentenced to life

Military Service

Kenneth W. Harrison served in the United States military before joining law enforcement. Full service record available on salute.nw.

Patrolman Kenneth W. Harrison 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 TX, 1,463 of 2,421 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 60.4% of this state's fallen. That is 6.2 percentage points above the national rate of 54.2%.

At Texas Department of Public Safety - Texas Highway Patrol, 35 of 95 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 36.8% of this agency's fallen.

Texas Department of Public Safety - Texas Highway Patrol

of 95 officers

36.8% Felonious

TX — Statewide

1,463

of 2,421 officers

60.4% Felonious

Nationwide

17,623

of 32,508 officers

54.2% Felonious