Roll of Honor
His Life
Officer Richard Wagner suffered a fatal heart attack while involved in a foot pursuit of a suspected car thief. He collapsed while chasing the suspect, who had abandoned the vehicle, through a Northside neighborhood. The suspect evaded capture. Officer Wagner collapsed upon returning to his patrol car and was rushed to the hospital. Officer Wagner had served with the agency for nearly 17 years. He was to receive a meritorious duty citation on Nov. 18, 1990 for pulling a wounded officer from the line of fire during a shootout the previous May. He was awarded the citation posthumously.
Survivors
Officer Wagner was survived by his wife, two sons, and a daughter.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-WI-CA0D473B- Stewardship
- Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
- Added to badge.nw
- August 2, 2026
- Last updated
- August 2, 2026
Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.
Are you family? This record can be claimed and maintained by those who knew Richard. Claim this record.
This page is permanent and free. No fee to view it, no advertising, no tracking, and no account required. It will not be taken down.
Tributes
I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Police Officer Wagner gave the Milwaukee Police Department 16 years.
Thank you for your service to the Milwaukee community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Police Officer Wagner.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
His Life Details
Police Officer Richard E. Wagner 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 32,587 officers honored here.
In WI, 23 of 317 officers were lost to cardiac events in the line of duty — 7.3% of this state's fallen. That is 3.3 percentage points above the national rate of 4%.
At Milwaukee Police Department, 3 of 69 officers on record were lost to cardiac events in the line of duty — 4.3% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Cardiac compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Richard E. Wagner's cause is highlighted.
How Richard E. Wagner Compares
When Cardiac Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Cardiac deaths across the full memorial record. Richard E. Wagner is highlighted in Oct.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
68 officers from Milwaukee Police Department are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
