Walton Odell Whatley, Jr.

Fort Worth Police Dept. — Fort Worth, TX

Accident Veteran

End of Watch August 2, 1949

Age 27

Tour of Duty 2 yrs

The Vigil Panel 85 ›

Gender Male

Incident Service The Sacrifice Department 58

Incident

Officer Walton Whatley succumbed to injuries he received when his motorcycle was struck by a vehicle on July 28, 1949. He was pursuing a speeding vehicle on 28th Street when a vehicle heading south on Jacksboro Highway hit him. Officer Whatley was transported to a local hospital, where he died from a skull fracture and internal injuries a week later. Officer Whatley was a United States Navy WWII veteran and had served with the Fort Worth Police Department for two years.

Survivors

He was survived by his wife, daughter, mother, father, five brothers, and four sisters.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier: BO-US-TX-C540CB0B
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.
Motorcycle Officer Whatley gave the Fort Worth Police Department 2 years.
Thank you for your service to the Fort Worth community, 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 Fort Worth Police Dept.

Location Fort Worth, TX

Platform Identity fwpd.tarrant.tx.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch August 2, 1949

Tour of Duty 2 yrs

Age 27

Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Accident

Military Service

Walton Odell Whatley, Jr. served in the United States military before joining law enforcement. Full service record available on salute.nw.

Motorcycle Officer Walton Odell Whatley, Jr. 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 Fort Worth Police Dept., 19 of 59 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 32.2% of this agency's fallen.

Fort Worth Police Dept.

of 59 officers

32.2% Accident

TX — Statewide

653

of 2,421 officers

27% Accident

Nationwide

10,088

of 32,508 officers

31% Accident