Law enforcement community honors fallen officers at Illinois Capitol
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[May 03, 2024]
By COLE LONGCOR
Capitol News Illinois
clongcor@capitolnewsillinois.com
SPRINGFIELD – Six fallen police officers were honored at an annual
memorial service outside the State Capitol Thursday.
The Illinois Police Officers Memorial occurs annually on the first
Thursday of May to honor officers who died in the line of duty and to
support their families.
“No one looks forward to this day. We all wish we didn’t have to have a
day like this,” Treasurer Micheal Frerichs said. “Every year we come
back. And we’ll keep coming back for those people in law enforcement who
gave their lives but also for their families.”
There were two 2024 honorees: Officer Andres Mauricio Vasquez Lasso and
Officer Aréanah Makayla Preston, both of the Chicago Police Department.
Vasquez Lasso was shot and killed while responding to a domestic
disturbance on March 1, 2023, and Preston was shot and killed during an
attempted robbery immediately following her shift on May 6, 2023..
Four historic honorees were also recognized: officer John Francis Kane
of the Cicero Police Department, who died on Nov. 12, 1910; Sheriff Ray
Boston of the Montgomery County Sherrif’s Office, who died on July 23,
1947; Deputy Sheriff Andrew H. Sloan of the Sangamon County Sherrif’s
Office, who died on Jan. 2, 1951; and Detective Todd C. Gillerlain of
the Chicago Police Department, who died on May 7, 2020.
“Each year it pains me more and more to see even more families join the
club that no one ever willingly signs up for, the Gold Star Families,”
Comptroller Susanna Mendoza said.
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Retired Chicago police officer Mike Ostrowski speaks to the crowd at
the annual Police Officers Memorial in Springfield on Thursday.
“Their names are etched in a wall behind me,” he said of the state’s
officers who died in the line of duty. “But their spirit is etched
in our souls.” (Capitol News Illinois photo by Jerry Nowicki)
Mendoza, whose brother is a Chicago police sergeant who became
permanently disabled after contracting COVID-19 in 2020, spoke out
against the hate and violence towards police.
“I’m disgusted by the vilification of our police force,” she said. “This
vilification of the very people who are serving and protecting us is
putting each and every one of you in danger.”
The ceremony included reading The Survivors Prayer, a gun salute, and
the playing of Amazing Grace and Taps. At the end of the ceremony the
victims’ families were presented with plaques and casings.
Many of the speakers’ remarks focused on themes of memory and legacy,
including retired Chicago police officer Mike Ostrowski’s speech.
“Their names are etched in a wall behind me,” he said. “But their spirit
is etched in our souls.”
Capitol News Illinois is
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It is funded primarily by the Illinois Press Foundation and the Robert
R. McCormick Foundation, along with major contributions from the
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