SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WMBD)– The Annual Illinois Peace Officers Memorial Service was held on Thursday at the Illinois State Capital Grounds.
According to an Illinois Fraternal Order of Police press release, between late 2021 and 2022, 12 officers died in the line of duty.
The ceremony began with a procession of squad cars at the Illinois State Fairgrounds before departing for the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception for a memorial service.
The procession ended at the State Capital for the 11 a.m. remembrance.
The 12 officers killed in late 2021 and 2022 include;
- Officer Nicholas Kozak, Forest Park Police Department, November 27, 2021
- Officer James R. Svec, Chicago Police Department, December 8, 2021
- CBP Canine Officer Jeffrey P. Dela Cruz, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, December 23, 2021
- Officer Jose M. Huerta, Chicago Police Department, December 23, 2021
- Detective Joseph A. Tripoli, Chicago Police Department, January 3, 2022
- Deputy Sheriff Michael John Queeney, Will County Sheriff’s Office, January 8, 2022
- Officer Brian Romel Shields, Aurora Police Department, January 11, 2022
- Deputy Sheriff Joseph Robert Tinoco, Cook County Sheriff’s Department, January 13, 2022
- Sergeant Kenneth John Thurman Sr., Aurora Police Department, January 19, 2022
- Deputy Sheriff Brian J. Norton, Ford County Sheriff’s Office, February 5, 2022
- Officer Brian Lee Sember, Ottawa Police Department, April 3, 2022
- Deputy Sheriff Nicholas Donald Weist, Knox County Sheriff’s Office, April 29, 2022.
Five other officers confirmed to have died in the line of duty who had not yet been officially included in the memorial also got their recognition;
- Sergeant Claude E. Bowman, Cook County Highway Patrol, July 7, 1923
- Sergeant Francis J. McGraw, Chicago Police Department, May 6, 1942
- Officer Charles Hibsch, Chicago Police Department, November 9, 1947
- Officer Dennis F. Collins, Chicago Police Department, July 3, 1953
- Deputy John Venton Donaldson Sr., Ogle County Sheriff’s Office
The Illinois Police Officers Memorial Committee was established in 1985. The monument in Springfield bears the names of the officers who have made the ultimate sacrifice while serving their communities.