George Barstad

Detroit Police Department — Detroit, MI

Felonious

End of Watch June 25, 1928

Age 28

Tour of Duty 3 yrs

Badge 1802

The Vigil Panel 55 ›

Gender Male

Incident Service The Sacrifice Department 249

Incident

Sergeant George Barstad was shot and killed when he walked in on a robbery at the Detroit News business office at 615 W. Lafayette Blvd. at 11 a.m. One of six men armed with sawed-off shotguns shot Sergeant Barstad as they held 100 news workers at bay while the cashier's cage was ransacked and $14,000 was stolen. All the suspects escaped at the time. The suspect who killed Sergeant Barstad was the leader of the "Flathead Gang," responsible for hold-ups in various parts of the country. He boasted that he had killed as many as 26 men. In 1927, the subject was convicted of the murder of a payroll guard he had killed in Pittsburgh on Dec. 23, 1925, and was sentenced to death. On Aug. 18, 1927, he and another death row inmate shot their way out of the Allegheny County Jail in Pittsburgh. He and the gang were responsible for several hold-ups and murders (including Barstad's) from the time he escaped until Sept. 13, 1928, when he was recaptured after being shot and seriously wounded by police in a restaurant in Cleveland, Ohio. During his capture, he shot and fatally wounded Patrolman Anthony Wieczorek and Patrolman George E. Effinger of the Cleveland Police Department. The subject recovered from his wounds and was returned to Pennsylvania, where he was executed in the electric chair on Jan. 20, 1929. Sgt. Barstad, who served on the police force for three years, died nearly three weeks after his shooting.

Survivors

He was survived by his sister and six brothers.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier: BO-US-MI-CC5375C1
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.
Sergeant Barstad gave the Detroit Police Department 3 years.
Thank you for your service to the Detroit community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Sergeant Barstad.

— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993

Agency

Department Detroit Police Department

Location Detroit, MI

Platform Identity detpd.wayne.mi.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch June 25, 1928

Tour of Duty 3 yrs

Age 28

Badge Number 1802

Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious

Weapon Shotgun

Offender Executed in 1929

Sergeant George Barstad is one of 17,623 officers killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 54.2% of all 32,508 officers honored here.

In MI, 426 of 718 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 59.3% of this state's fallen. That is 5.1 percentage points above the national rate of 54.2%.

At Detroit Police Department, 177 of 250 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 70.8% of this agency's fallen.

Detroit Police Department

177

of 250 officers

70.8% Felonious

MI — Statewide

426

of 718 officers

59.3% Felonious

Nationwide

17,623

of 32,508 officers

54.2% Felonious