Roll of Honor
Incident
Officer Peter Resch suffered a fatal heart attack minutes after struggling with a suspect at the scene of a domestic disturbance.
Officer Resch, with the assistance of a Verndale officer, was able to subdue and handcuff the suspect. The officer then collapsed in the apartment building hallway as he escorted the suspect to a patrol car.
Other officers and emergency personnel on the scene immediately began CPR. He was transported to Tri County Hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Officer Resch had served with the Wadena Police Department for 15 years.
Survivors
He is survived by his wife and three children.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-MN-A6B5BE5A- 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.
Officer Resch gave the Wadena Police Department 15 years.
Thank you for your service to the Wadena community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Officer Resch.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Officer Peter Jay Resch is one of 1,306 officers lost to cardiac events in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 4% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In MN, 26 of 293 officers were lost to cardiac events in the line of duty — 8.9% of this state's fallen. That is 4.9 percentage points above the national rate of 4%.
National Cause Distribution
How Cardiac compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Peter Jay Resch's cause is highlighted.
How Peter Jay Resch Compares
When Cardiac Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Cardiac deaths across the full memorial record. Peter Jay Resch is highlighted in May.