Roll of Honor
Incident
Officer Robert Backes was struck and killed by a vehicle struggling with a man he was attempting to arrest for drunk driving. The suspect he was struggling with was also struck and killed. Officer Backes had served with the agency for 12 years.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife, son, and two daughters.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-WI-E8473D61- 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. Coast Guard. One record, 2 gates. Robert is one person.
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Tributes
I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Police Officer Backes gave the Germantown Police Department 12 years.
Thank you for your service to the Germantown community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Police Officer Backes.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Military Service
Robert D. Backes served in the U.S. Coast Guard (1964â1968) before joining law enforcement.
Police Officer Robert D. Backes is one of 1 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 0% of all 97,772 officers honored here.
In WI, 124 of 317 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 39.1% of this state's fallen. That is 39.1 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Robert D. Backes's cause is highlighted.
How Robert D. Backes Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Robert D. Backes is highlighted in Mar.
Incident Location
Military Service
Robert D. Backes served in the U.S. Coast Guard (1964–1968) before joining law enforcement.
Visit Robert D. Backes’s page on salute.nw →
His full service record — units, decorations, where he served — is kept on salute.nw.
Others Who Wore This Badge
0 officers from Germantown Police Department are honored on badge.nw.