Roll of Honor
Incident
Patrolman Arthur Lavender was killed when his police motorcycle was struck by a vehicle at Magoffin Avenue, near Brown Street. He had just finished his shift and was heading home, driving in the middle lane of a one-way street. A car driving next to him made a sudden left-hand turn from the right lane, striking Patrolman Lavender's motorcycle. The motorcycle skidded 94 feet east after the impact, flipped over three times, struck the north curb of Magoffin and then slid into a parked car. When the motorcycle finally came to rest, it lay on top of the police officer. The officer was transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival. The driver of the other vehicle was arrested at the scene of the accident and charged with murder with a motor vehicle. Patrolman Lavender had served with the agency for 13 years and had previously served with the United States Marine Corps in the Korean War. His brother was a police officer with the traffic division. He is by his wife, five children, sister, brother, and grandmother.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-TX-D67F909C- 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 Lavender gave the El Paso Police Department 13 years.
Thank you for your service to the El Paso 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
Service Record
Incident Details
Military Service
Arthur Joe Lavender, Jr. served in the United States military before joining law enforcement. Full service record available on salute.nw.
Patrolman Arthur Joe Lavender, 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 El Paso Police Dept., 7 of 34 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 20.6% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Arthur Joe Lavender, Jr.'s cause is highlighted.
How Arthur Joe Lavender, Jr. Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Arthur Joe Lavender, Jr. is highlighted in Dec.
Others Who Wore This Badge
33 officers from El Paso Police Dept. are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
