Waukesha Police Department, Wisconsin
End of Watch: Sunday, June 11, 1961
Age: 33
Tour of Duty: 6 years
Badge Number: Not available
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: June 11, 1961
Weapon Used: Gun; Unknown type
Suspect Info: Two shot and killed
Detective George Schmidling was shot and killed after arresting three burglary suspects.
Detective Schmidling was investigating a burglary when he located the three subjects eating at a downtown Waukesha restaurant and waited for them to leave before making contact with them. Detective Schmidling asked the trio to come back to the station for questioning, and the three agreed.
It is believed that Detective Schmidling patted down the three subjects before riding in the front passenger seat with the trio to the police station a few blocks away. Unbeknownst to Detective Schmidling, two of the subjects were hiding handguns between the seats, and one pulled a gun out and pointed it at Detective Schmidling. Detective Schmidling grabbed the barrel but was shot once in the chest and once in the shoulder. Detective Schmidling returned fire from his duty revolver, fatally wounding the shooter and then mortally wounding the driver, who was also attempting to pull out a gun.
Detective Schmidling opened the passenger door to escape and rolled out of the vehicle onto the roadway in sight of another Waukesha Police Officer who was driving by. The officer did not recognize the fatally wounded Detective and pursued the fleeing vehicle. He fired two warning shots at the car and eventually ran it off the road north of the City on Highway 164 near Hwy JJ. One subject lay dead in the back seat, the driver was mortally wounded and died the next day at Waukesha Memorial Hospital, and the third subject was not wounded and was taken into custody.
The surviving subject was sentenced to 45 years in prison and was released in 1969 on parole after serving 18 years.
Detective Schmidling was a United States Navy veteran and had served with the Waukesha Police Department for six years. He was survived by his wife and three children.
Detective Schmidling was the first Waukesha Police Officer to be killed in the line of duty. The Department's Firing Range was named after him in 1981, and a memorial plaque hangs in the Assembly Room with his likeness.