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"These brave men and women came to work
every day prepared to do whatever was required to protect the
public," Gov. Blagojevich said. "And in the face of danger, they
never relented their duty to serve and protect. Today we honor the
sacrifices they made, and we grieve with their colleagues, families
and friends. We should also take this opportunity to remember and
thank the officers who are still with us and continue to serve the
public."
Five of
the officers honored were killed during the past year:
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On Feb.
4, 2004, Riverdale Police Department Detective William Rolniak
Jr., 39, was escorting a prisoner from an interview room to a jail
cell. While in the process, he was disarmed by the prisoner,
forced out of the police station and into a building across the
street. There, the prisoner shot Rolniak in the head, killing him.
The prisoner was subsequently shot and killed by responding
officers. A wife and two children survive Rolniak, who had been
with the department for 12 years.
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The
second officer killed in the line of duty was 45-year-old Deputy
Sheriff Dane Johns of the Williamson County Sheriff's Office.
Johns, a 23-year veteran, was accidentally killed on July 26,
2004, while disarming his patrol vehicle near the end of his
shift. As he was removing his shotgun, the weapon discharged,
fatally wounding him. He leaves behind a wife and three children.
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On Aug.
8, 2004, at approximately 5:50 a.m., Chicago Police Department
Officer Michael P. Gordon and his partner were on routine patrol
when their squad car was struck by a drunk driver. Gordon, 30,
died from injuries sustained in the accident. He was completing
his second year with the Chicago Police Department, prior to which
he spent two years with the Riverside Police Department. He is
survived by a wife and four children.
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Joliet
Police Department Officer Jonathan E. Walsh, 27, died on Aug. 20,
2004, as a result of a hit-and-run accident. Walsh was responding
to a burglar alarm call when a motorist pulled out in front of his
squad car. The collision caused Walsh's squad car to careen off
the road and collide with a heavy-construction crane. The driver
of the other vehicle fled the scene but was captured several hours
later. Walsh, who was single, had been with the department for 3½
years.
- The final officer killed in the
line of duty during 2004 was Officer Cristy S. Tindall, 33, of the
Peoria Police Department. On Dec. 30, she was a passenger in a
marked squad car responding to a call to assist another officer.
While en route, the squad car struck a utility pole, killing her
instantly. Tindall was single and a 10-year veteran of the
department.
[to top of second column in this article]
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 The remaining seven officers honored
died in the line of duty between 1922 and 1975.
Four of
those officers served with the Peoria Park District Police
Department:
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Officer
Charles E. Barden was killed instantly on Aug. 24, 1938, when his
patrol motorcycle suddenly veered off the road and struck a state
highway truck. Barden was on his way to a repair shop when the
accident occurred, as he had been experiencing mechanical
difficulties with the cycle.
-
On Aug.
4, 1937, Officer David W. Gaul was leading a large group of
children across a street when a vehicle being driven at a high
rate of speed by a 15-year-old struck the officer. Gaul was
transported to a hospital, where died a few hours later.
-
Officer
Charles E. DeBolt died on July 2, 1924, as a result of a
motorcycle accident that occurred while he was in pursuit of a
speeding motorist.
- While on patrol June 12, 1922,
Constable Arthur T. Smith and his partner were investigating a
couple of cars parked along the side of a road. As Smith
approached the vehicles, occupants opened gunfire, fatally
wounding Smith.
The other three officers honored were:
-
On May
17, 1952, Chicago Police Department Officer Martin J. Moylan Sr.,
died as a result of injuries sustained in a traffic accident
involving another motorist.
-
Officer
Robert L. Johnston, also a member of the Chicago Police
Department, was kicked in the leg by a subject he was attempting
to apprehend on July 21, 1926. The wound caused from the kick
subsequently developed gangrene, which led to the amputation of
his leg. Infection that set in after the operation resulted in the
officer's death.
- On Sept. 23, 1975, Joliet Police
Department Officer Jeffrey P. Hopkins was providing a motorcycle
escort for a funeral procession. After stopping an individual for
interrupting the procession, Hopkins attempted to catch up with
the funeral motorcade but was struck by a car. He died six days
later from his injuries.
Thursday marked the 20th observance
of Illinois Police Officers' Memorial Day. A national day of
remembrance, National Peace Officers' Memorial Day, is May
15 of each year. During 2004, 136 police officers were killed, 55
feloniously and 81 accidentally, in the line of duty in the United
States.
[News release from the governor's
office]
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