Lemuel Dodd Savage

Amarillo Police Dept. — Amarillo, TX

Felonious

End of Watch March 15, 1945

Age 52

Tour of Duty 3 yrs

The Vigil Panel 81 ›

Gender Male

Incident Service The Sacrifice Department 15

Incident

Detective Lem Savage succumbed to gunshot wounds he received when he was transporting two prisoners to jail. He had arrested two subjects when he found them burglarizing a store. He searched the two men before transporting them but missed a handgun hidden in one of the man's pants. During the transport, one of the men produced the gun and shot Detective Savage near the Amarillo Police Station on West 4th Avenue. As the suspect fled, he kidnapped three other people before being apprehended. Detective Savage died from his wounds at St. Anthony's Hospital three days later. The suspect was an escapee from prison. He was convicted of federal kidnapping charges and sent to Alcatraz Prison. While in Alcatraz, the subject was part of an escape attempt that ultimately left Correctional Officer Harold Stites and Correctional William Miller of the Federal Bureau of Prisons dead from gunshot wounds. The suspect was executed in 1948 for his role in the two murders. Detective Savage had served with the Amarillo Police Department for three years and the city of Amarillo for 16 years.

Survivors

He was survived by his wife, son, and two daughters.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier: BO-US-TX-C5B1AB9D
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.
Detective Savage gave the Amarillo Police Department 3 years.
Thank you for your service to the Amarillo community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Detective Savage.

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

Agency

Department Amarillo Police Dept.

Location Amarillo, TX

Platform Identity apd.potter.tx.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch March 15, 1945

Tour of Duty 3 yrs

Age 52

Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious

Weapon Handgun

Offender Executed in 1948

Detective Lemuel Dodd Savage 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 Amarillo Police Dept., 10 of 16 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 62.5% of this agency's fallen.

Amarillo Police Dept.

of 16 officers

62.5% Felonious

TX — Statewide

1,463

of 2,421 officers

60.4% Felonious

Nationwide

17,623

of 32,508 officers

54.2% Felonious