Roll of Honor
Incident
Sergeant Raquel Saunders died from complications as the result of contracting COVID-19 while in the line of duty.
Sergeant Saunders had served with the Amarillo Police Department for 23 years and had previously served with the Potter County Sheriff's Office for four years.
COVID-19 and Law Enforcement
Sergeant Raquel Virginia Saunders died on October 13, 2021 of COVID-19 contracted in the line of duty. He was 50.
He is one of 884 officers honored here, and one of 3 at Amarillo Police Dept..
Beginning in early 2020, law enforcement officers across the country contracted COVID-19 in the course of their duties. While much of the nation sheltered at home, they kept answering calls, making arrests, transporting prisoners, and working face to face with the public. There was no distance to be had from the job.
Corrections officers were hit hardest. Confined facilities and large populations meant constant, close, unavoidable exposure.
Survivors
She is survived by four children.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-TX-F5BDA154- 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
The country locked its doors. You kept working.
Sergeant Saunders gave the Amarillo Police Department 27 years.
Thank you for your service to the Amarillo community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Sergeant Saunders.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Sergeant Raquel Virginia Saunders is one of 2,974 officers lost to illness connected to their service across the full record of this memorial — 9.1% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In TX, 204 of 2,421 officers were lost to illness connected to their service — 8.4% of this state's fallen. That is 0.7 percentage points below the national rate of 9.1%.
At Amarillo Police Dept., 3 of 16 officers on record were lost to illness connected to their service — 18.8% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Illness compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Raquel Virginia Saunders's cause is highlighted.
How Raquel Virginia Saunders Compares
When Illness Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Illness deaths across the full memorial record. Raquel Virginia Saunders is highlighted in Oct.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
15 officers from Amarillo Police Dept. are honored on badge.nw.
