State Representative CD Davidsmeyer (R-Jacksonville) said after attending a Springfield ceremony for fallen law enforcement officers recently that he “prayed for the day” when no more names are added to the Illinois Peace Officer Memorial Service.
“It was an honor to watch the ceremony for fallen law enforcement yesterday in the State Library,” he said in a statement. “Unfortunately, names are added to the state memorial every year, so I have attended many on the lawn of the Capital over the years. This year, the weather took us inside to celebrate the lives and sacrifice of men like Scot Fitzgerald.”
The annual ceremony is typically held at the Illinois Peace Officer Memorial sculpture on the Illinois State Capitol grounds, but the weather forced the ceremony indoors to the Illinois State Library.
Four officers killed in the line of duty in 2016 were recognized and their names added to the memorial: Officer James Brockmeyer, Chester Police Department; Correctional Officer Adam Conrad, Marion County Sheriff’s Office; Senior Patrolman Francis Fitzgerald, South Jacksonville Police Department; and Officer Jason Gallero, Cook County Sheriff’s Police.
An additional eight officers who died in the line of duty between 1916 and 1951 were honored, although their names have not been officially added to the memorial.
Jake Leonard, a broadcast media and journalism veteran, is the editor-in-chief of Heartland Newsfeed. Leonard is also GM and program director of Heartland Newsfeed Radio Network, wrestling editor and contributing writer for Ambush Sports, a contributing writer for My Sports Vote and Midwest Sports Network, and a former contributor to Bleacher Report and Overtime Heroics. He resides at home in Nokomis, Ill. with his dog Buster.
