Michael D. Hemschmeyer

Phoenix Police Department — Phoenix, AZ

Veteran → Veteran → Accident

End of Watch November 2, 1973

Age 32

Tour of Duty 4 yrs

Badge 1845

The Vigil Panel 112 ›

Gender Male

Incident Service The Sacrifice Military Department 46

Incident

Officer Michael Hemschmeyer was killed in a traffic crash while responding to another officer’s call for assistance around 2 p.m. A sedan that had pulled over for the officer’s emergency lights was struck from behind by a five-ton city garbage truck at 19th Avenue and the Salt River Bottom in Phoenix. The force of the collision threw the truck into the path of the approaching patrol car, killing Officer Hemschmeyer. Officer Hemschmeyer was a United States Navy Vietnam War veteran and had served with the Phoenix Police Department for four years.

Survivors

He was survived by his wife, son, daughter, parents, and two sisters.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier: BO-US-AZ-824666D2
Stewardship: Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
Added to badge.nw: August 2, 2026
Last updated: August 2, 2026

Honored here by 1 tribute.

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Also honored at salute.nw — U.S. Navy, salute.nw. One record, 3 gates. Michael is one person.

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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.
Officer Hemschmeyer gave the Phoenix Police Department 4 years.
Thank you for your service to the Phoenix 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 Phoenix Police Department

Type Other

Location Phoenix, Maricopa County, AZ

Platform Identity phoepd.maricopa.az.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch November 2, 1973

Tour of Duty 4 yrs

Age 32

Badge Number 1845

Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Accident

Military Service

Michael D. Hemschmeyer served in the U.S. Navy (1964â1969) before joining law enforcement.

View full service record on salute.nw →

Officer Michael D. Hemschmeyer is one of 1 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 0% of all 97,759 officers honored here.

In AZ, 95 of 330 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 28.8% of this state's fallen. That is 28.8 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

At Phoenix Police Department, 14 of 47 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 29.8% of this agency's fallen.

Phoenix Police Department

of 47 officers

29.8% Accident

AZ — Statewide

of 330 officers

28.8% Accident

Nationwide

of 97,759 officers

0% Accident