Roll of Honor
Incident
Patrolman John Schemm died as the result of injuries sustained in a fall down a set of stairs at 4201-4203 Murray Avenue. Patrolman Schemm was assigned to night time patrol in the Squirrel Hill section of Pittsburgh. A doctor who was opening his office in the building found Patrolman Schemm laying at the foot of the stairs. The building owners regularly left the front door open so patrolmen could check the interior. Patrolman Schemm served with the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police for seven years and was assigned to the Hazelwood Police Station, present day Zone 4 Police Station Oakland. He was survived by his wife Anna Ruthling Schemm. He was appointed to the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police on April 1, 1921.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife Anna Ruthling Schemm.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-PA-0A75308C- 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.
Patrolman Schemm gave the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police 7 years.
Thank you for your service. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Patrolman Schemm.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Patrolman John Joseph Schemm 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 PA, 417 of 1,261 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 33.1% of this state's fallen. That is 2.1 percentage points above the national rate of 31%.
At Pittsburgh Bureau of Police, 38 of 101 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 37.6% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. John Joseph Schemm's cause is highlighted.
How John Joseph Schemm Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. John Joseph Schemm is highlighted in Dec.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
100 officers from Pittsburgh Bureau of Police are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
