Phoenix Police Department, Arizona
End of Watch: Friday, November 2, 1973
Age: 32
Tour of Duty: 4 years
Badge Number: 1845
Cause of Death: Automobile crash
Date of Incident: November 2, 1973
Weapon Used: Not available
Suspect Info: Not available
Officer Michael Hemschmeyer was killed in a traffic crash while responding to another officer’s call for assistance around 2 p.m.
A sedan that had pulled over for the officer’s emergency lights was struck from behind by a five-ton city garbage truck at 19th Avenue and the Salt River Bottom in Phoenix. The force of the collision threw the truck into the path of the approaching patrol car, killing Officer Hemschmeyer.
Officer Hemschmeyer was a United States Navy Vietnam War veteran and had served with the Phoenix Police Department for four years. He was survived by his wife, son, daughter, parents, and two sisters.