Roll of Honor
Incident
Officer Michael Draeger succumbed to burns received one month earlier when his clothing caught fire following a vehicle accident. He responded to an officer needs assistance call when his patrol wagon collided with another police car. He was able to free himself from the wreckage but his gasoline-soaked clothing caught fire. He was transported to a burn center where he succumbed to his wounds one month later. Officer Draeger had served with the Milwaukee Police Department for five years.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife and two children.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-WI-3E3B92D1- 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.
Police Officer Draeger gave the Milwaukee Police Department 5 years.
Thank you for your service to the Milwaukee community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Police Officer Draeger.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Police Officer Michael L. Draeger 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 WI, 124 of 317 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 39.1% of this state's fallen. That is 8.1 percentage points above the national rate of 31%.
At Milwaukee Police Department, 23 of 69 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 33.3% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Michael L. Draeger's cause is highlighted.
How Michael L. Draeger Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Michael L. Draeger is highlighted in Dec.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
68 officers from Milwaukee Police Department are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
