Illinois to install memorial signs for every fallen State Police officer

SPRINGFIELD – Today, Illinois Trooper Day, the Illinois State Police (ISP), Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT), Illinois Tollway, and the Illinois State Police Heritage Foundation announced every ISP Officer killed in the line of duty will be honored for their sacrifice for the people of Illinois with a memorial sign along Illinois roadways.

“The lives and legacies of our fallen State Police Officers deserve to be honored for generations to come, and we will ensure that no sacrifice goes unrecognized,” said Governor JB Pritzker. ? “Our State Police put their safety on the line to protect the People of Illinois, and that bravery and commitment will be memorialized along roadways across the state.”

Trooper Albert J. Hasson was the first ISP Trooper killed in the line of duty after being struck by a vehicle while on patrol on old Route 66 just north of Chenoa in 1924. ? Since the agency began providing services on ? April 1, 1922, 73 ISP Officers have died in the line of duty.

“While the State has installed signs along Illinois highways in dedication of fallen ISP Officers over the years, we recognized there were not signs for every fallen ISP Officer, and to honor them, we are changing that,” said ISP Director Brendan F. Kelly. ? “These Officers made the ultimate sacrifice for us all and these signs are one way to ensure that sacrifice is not forgotten.”

Over the next several months, IDOT and the Illinois Tollway will erect uniform signs for all fallen ISP Officers. ? The existing ISP signs vary in design. ? The new signs will be standardized for a uniform look that shows respect for the Officer’s, and their family’s, sacrifice.

“For the millions of drivers on Illinois roads each day, these signs are a reminder that Troopers constantly put their lives on the line to keep the public protected and safe,” said Illinois Transportation Secretary Gia Biagi. ? “We are honored to participate in this tribute and forever grateful for the contributions of the Illinois State Police.”

“The Illinois Tollway relies on the Illinois State Police to protect and assist ? the drivers ? and workers on our system and we’re proud to participate in this initiative to ensure the sacrifices made by these fallen Troopers are properly honored,” said Illinois Tollway Executive Director Cassaundra Rouse. ? “Adding the new, standardized signs along our system will help ensure the service, dedication and sacrifice displayed by these Troopers is properly recognized.”

In 2011, the General Assembly began passing resolutions designating stretches of various highways in honor of ISP Officers killed in the line of duty. ? It is believed the first ISP memorial sign was installed on State Highway 13 in honor of Trooper Lory Price, who was murdered, along with his wife, by the notorious Charlie Birger Gang in 1927. ?

“Remembering those men and women who paid the ultimate sacrifice is one of the most important endeavors we can undertake to honor their legacies and families,” said ISP Heritage Foundation Executive Director Jarod Ingebrigtsen. ? “I am thankful for the efforts of the Illinois General Assembly, Illinois State Police, Illinois Department of Transportation, and Illinois Tollway in moving this initiative forward. ? These signs will serve as a reminder to the citizens of this great state, as well as its visitors, of the sacrifice paid by these Officers as well as the daily efforts of our current and future law enforcement officers to keep our communities safe.”

Video of the news conference is available on ISP’s Facebook page ILStatePolice.

This is a list of the fallen troopers in the line of duty:

Trooper

EOW

Anticipated Sign Location

County

Tpr. Albert J. Hasson

September 7, 1924

Old Route 66 north of Chenoa

McLean

Lory L. Price

January 17, 1927

IL Route 13 east of IL Route 166

Williamson

Paul E. Clendening

February 16, 1927

I-59 and US 20 intersection

Cook

George E. Wheeler

November 22, 1927

I-57 outside Kankakee

Kankakee

Robert L. Fisher

April 24, 1929

IL 1 south of Hoopeston

Vermilion

Robert J. McDonald

July 10, 1930

IL 159 north of I-270

Madison

Robert J. Card

August 12, 1930

IL 40 near I-88 south of Rock Falls

Whiteside

Frank M. Schwartz

September 11, 1930

I-55 at US 52

Will

Kenneth L. Church

December 5, 1931

IL 2 at Palmyra Road Sterling

Whiteside

John Connors, Jr.

June 3, 1932

US 51 and IL 16

Christian

Grady L. Sutton

June 30, 1932

IL 34 north of Dorris Heights Road

Saline

Richard Groja

May 28, 1933

I-294 and US 14

Cook

John L. McCabe

August 12, 1933

I-294 and I-88

Cook

Joseph Merritt Elliott

October 20, 1933

IL 116 near Nofsinger

Woodford

Leo J. LaVelle

November 24, 1934

I-80 and IL 84

Rock Island

Ray Embree

October 15, 1936

I-55 southbound milepost 186

McLean

Frank Tamulis

August 9, 1937

I-294 outside Oak Lawn

Cook

Albert Cecil Brokmyer

November 19, 1939

US 45 outside Carrier Mills

Saline

Eugene Roberts

February 18, 1940

IL 30 and IL 34

Kendall

Rocco Gragido

September 11, 1940

I-90 and W. 63rd

Cook

Ralph R. Newman

August 20, 1941

IL 14 outside Buckner

Franklin

Robert R. Thomas

May 15, 1942

I-270 near milepost 14

Madison

Phillip B. Guinto

August 5, 1943

US 12 and IL 134

Lake

Charles J. Deans

August 8, 1944

I-57 outside Benton

Franklin

Samuel Mangiamele

May 25, 1945

US 41

Cook

Marvin C. Archer

June 18, 1946

IL 9 Paxton

Ford

Forrest F. Spencer

October 27, 1946

IL 37 south of Olmsted

Pulaski

George L. Fredrickson

September 1, 1947

IL 100 Scenic Drive Grafton

Jersey

Roy Kyle Moody

February 28, 1949

I-55 and I-72

Sangamon

Ben R. Seaton

October 14, 1949

US 34 Wataga

Knox

Arthur Paul Goetting

February 4, 1951

IL 57 and IL 162

Madison

Corwin L. McConkey

March 8, 1951

I-72 north of Cisco

Piatt

Millard R. Courtney

April 11, 1951

Dixie Highway at 147th Street

Cook

Glenn D. Gagnon

December 28, 1952

IL 50 north of Kankakee

Kankakee

Harry B. Bradley

October 24, 1957

US 50 and IL 1 Lawrenceville

Lawrenceville

Leo S. Burakowski

September 24, 1958

I-94 rear IL Tollway Buckley Plaza

Lake

Clarence U. Swain

August 1, 1959

I-55 and I-72

Sangamon

Michael T. Angelos

July 13, 1960

IL 38 Lombard

DuPage

Dale A. Van Vooren

December 29, 1962

US 6 ? outside Annawan

Henry/Bureau

Clarence M. Robinson

December 28, 1963

IL 130 and US 50

Richland

Frank A. Doris

May 27, 1967

I-57 at milepost 157

Clay

Warren L. Allen

September 21, 1967

IL 17 at Riverwood Road

Kankakee

Floyd J. Farrar

December 17,1968

IL 103 and US 24

Schuyler

Richard G. Warner

April 21, 1969

IL 53 ISP Headquarters Lockport

Will

Donald Blickensderfer

September 26, 1970

US 36 south of Pierson

Piatt

Frank R. Dunbar

May 14, 1972

IL 37 north of Benton

Franklin

Pete E. Lackey

November 27, 1972

I-72 near New Berlin

Sangamon

Layton T. Davis

March 18, 1976

I-57 south of 1700th Avenue

Effingham

George D. Craggs

November 10, 1976

I-55 and US 136 Havana

Mason

Michael K. McCarter

April 7, 1979

I-57 County Road 200 North

Ford

Bernard D. Skeeters

May 20, 1982

I-55 Stuttle Road Overpass Litchfield

Montgomery

John H. Kugelman

November 10, 1986

I-355 and I-290

DuPage

Virgil L. Bensyl

January 15, 1988

IL 105 north of Monticello

Piatt

Gary Degelman

May 4, 1989

IL 67 at 1500 North Road, Macomb

McDonough

April C. Styburski

January 5, 1990

US 20 near Pingree Grove

Kane

Robert L. Kolowski

February 25, 1993

IL 47 in Yorkville

Kendall

Chong S. Lim

June 6, 1995

I-90 and IL 59 Overpass

Cook

Anthony Millison

October 27, 1997

I-57 & Thorton-Blue Island Overpass

Cook

Erin M. Hehl

October 30, 1997

I-55 and IL 83 Overpass

DuPage

Stanley W. Talbot

June 23, 2001

US 67 at IL 92 in Rock Island

Rock Island

Jeffrey Vlcek

July 13, 2003

I-294 at Cicero Avenue

Cook

Rodney T. Miller

May 12, 2006

I-72 Champaign County 500 East

Champaign

Brian McMillen

October 28, 2007

I-72 and milepost 122

Macon

Kyle Deatherage

November 26, 2012

I-55 at milepost 62 Raymond

Montgomery

James Sauter

March 28, 2013

I-294 and Willow Road Overpass

Cook

Ryan Albin

June 28, 2017

I-74 DeWitt County Line

DeWitt

Christopher Lambert

January 12, 2019

I-294 milepost 49

Cook

Brooke Jones-Story

March 28, 2019

US 20 & Springfield Road Overpass

Stephenson

Gerald Ellis

March 30, 2019

I-94 and milepost 16

Lake

Nicholas Hopkins

August 23, 2019

IL 3 south of GG Road Waterloo

Monroe

Todd A. Hanneken

March 25, 2021

IL 121 west of IL 128

Moultrie

Corey S. Thompsen

October 18, 2024

I-74 at County Road 1900 East

Champaign

Clay M. Carns

December 23, 2024

I-55 and milepost 243

Will

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