Maximilian Frances Schmittberger (July 27, 1851 – October 31, 1917) was an American

law enforcement Law enforcement is the activity of some members of government who act in an organized manner to enforce the law by discovering, deterring, rehabilitating, or punishing people who violate the rules and norms governing that society. The term en ...

officer and chief police inspector for the

New York City Police Department The New York City Police Department (NYPD), officially the City of New York Police Department, established on May 23, 1845, is the primary municipal law enforcement agency within the City of New York, the largest and one of the oldest in ...

from 1909 until his death in 1917. He and Captain John Price were both wardmen closely associated with Inspector Alexander "Clubber" Williams while a precinct captain in the Tenderloin district. Schmittberger later became a star witness testifying before the

Lexow Committee Lexow Committee (1894 to 1895) was a major New York State Senate probe into police corruption in New York City. The Lexow Committee inquiry, which took its name from the committee's chairman, State Senator Clarence Lexow, was the widest-ranging ...

on police corruption within the NYPD.

Biography

Schmittberger was born in

Würzburg Würzburg (; Main-Franconian: ) is a city in the region of Franconia in the north of the German state of Bavaria. Würzburg is the administrative seat of the ''Regierungsbezirk'' Lower Franconia. It spans the banks of the Main River. Würzburg is ...

in the

Kingdom of Bavaria The Kingdom of Bavaria (german: Königreich Bayern; ; spelled ''Baiern'' until 1825) was a German state that succeeded the former Electorate of Bavaria in 1805 and continued to exist until 1918. With the unification of Germany into the German E ...

on July 27, 1851. Four years after his birth, his family emigrated to the United States and settled in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. He was educated in public schools and was employed in two or three other occupations prior to joining the Municipal Police Department on January 8, 1874. He reportedly had "a quiet demeanor and dislike of publicity", traits which he held from his days as a patrolman until his last days on the force. He gradually rose through the ranks becoming a roundsman on April 2, 1880, a sergeant on March 6, 1883, and a captain on December 8, 1890. He was assigned to the "Broadway squad" during the 1870s and 1880s where he and John Price became closely associated with the then head of the Tenderloin district Captain Alexander "Clubber" Williams. Schmittberger later testified before the

, agreeing to turn state's evidence, and implicated a number of high-level police officials involved in police corruption. Among these officials included Williams, now a police inspector, who Schmittberger claimed he had collected bribe money from gambling resorts and brothels, amounting to between $180–200 a month, then turning the money over to Williams. He also claimed to have carried out similar activity during his involvement with the "steamboat squad" and in other posts. Schmittberger was the only police official to emerge unscathed from the Lexow inquiry; his former colleagues were either allowed to retire or were dismissed from the force, and was called a "squealer" by members of the NYPD. On May 2, 1903, Schmittberger was finally made a police inspector by Commissioner Francis Greene. He became the technical head of the police force in his later career; he was considered a gifted speaker and an excellent organizer as well as a notoriously strict disciplinarian. He often made unexpected visits to police stations when the patrolman were preparing to go out on duty and watched to see if they saluted the officer at the desk as well as if the desk sergeant returned the salute in the proper manner. If the patrolmen did not salute, Schmittberger would order the officers to salute and then perform the ceremony ''"in smart military fashion to his satisfaction"''. On the afternoon of July 31, 1905, his wife Sarah Golden died of

cerebral meningitis Meningitis is acute or chronic inflammation of the protective membranes covering the brain and spinal cord, collectively called the meninges. The most common symptoms are fever, headache, and neck stiffness. Other symptoms include confusion or ...

at her home in

Far Rockaway, New York Far Rockaway is a neighborhood on the eastern part of the Rockaway peninsula in the New York City borough of Queens. It is the easternmost section of the Rockaways. The neighborhood extends from Beach 32nd Street east to the Nassau County line ...

. She had fallen ill earlier that year and was taken to Far Rockaway by her husband so that she might recover. Her funeral was held at St. Mary's Star of the Sea Church and she was interred at Woodlawn Cemetery. In mid-August 1917, he became ill and received a six-month leave of absence from the force. Although it was presumed his condition was improving, he caught a severe cold two months later after leaving his home. His cold quickly turned into

pneumonia Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severity ...

and he died at his East 61st Street home on the night of October 31, 1917. His seven children, six sons and one daughter, were at his bedside at the time of his death. Upon news of his death, the flags of all the police stations in New York were ordered to be lowered to half-mast and remained so until his funeral.

Biography

References

Further reading