The Boston Police Department Remembers the Service and Sacrifice of Detective John D. Schroeder 51 Years Ago Today

BPD Remembers: On this day 51 years ago in 1973, Detective John D. Schroeder was shot and killed in the line of duty while attempting to prevent an armed robbery. His brother, Walter, a father of 9 children, was shot and killed in the line of duty three years earlier.

The service and sacrifice of the Schroeder brothers will never be forgotten. To further underscore that point, today, in an ongoing effort to keep their devotion to duty alive, the highest honor for bravery and courage a Boston Police Officer can receive is an award named in their honor. The award is called the Schroeder Brothers Memorial Medal. Additionally, as the name suggests, One Schroeder Plaza, the site and location of Boston Police Headquarters in Roxbury, is named in their honor and memory as well.

Detective John Schroeder was 54-years-old at the time of his death and had been with the department for 22 years. He was laid to rest at Saint Joseph's Cemetery in West Roxbury.

Detective Schroeder's name is located on the National Law Enforcement Memorial, Panel 16, West Line 1, as well as, the Hero Wall at Boston Police Headquarters and the Law Enforcement Memorial at the State House in Downtown Boston.

A Hero Sign has been placed in his honor in the area of Washington Street and Newcomb Street in Lower Roxbury to forever commemorate and solemnly mark the location in which Detective Schroeder was killed in the line of duty. May we never forget his service and sacrifice.