Fallen Officers Honored in Memorial Ceremony

Police officers and other law enforcement personnel from as many as sixty different departments are expected to attend the 10th Annual Cook County Peace Officers Memorial Foundation Ceremony on Tuesday, May 10th. The ceremony begins at 11 a.m. and honors peace officers killed in the line of duty throughout Cook County. The event will be held at the Cermak Woods Forest Preserve, 7601 W. Ogden Avenue, Lyons, and is open to the public. The ceremony will honor officers who have been killed within the last year: Chicago Police Sergeant Alan Haymaker, End Of Watch (E.O.W.) 2-22-10 Chicago Police Officer Thomas E. Wortham IV, E.O.W. 5-20-10 Chicago Police Officer Thor O. Soderberg, E.O.W. 7-7-10 Chicago Police Officer Michael R. Bailey Sr., E.O.W. 7-18-10 Chicago Police Officer Michael R. Flisk, E.O.W. 11-26-10 In addition, the ceremony will pay tribute to three historical honorees who died in the line of duty: Cook County Sheriff’s Police Officer Harold A. Kegler, E.O.W. 6-8-25 Cook County Sheriff’s Police Officer John G. Sweitz, E.O.W. 6-24-28 These two Sheriff’s Police officers were killed in the line of duty more than 80 years ago, but it was only recently, while conducting research, that their sacrifices were discovered. This will be the first time they are honored as line of duty deaths. The event is hosted by the Peace Officers Memorial Foundation of Cook County, a non-profit organization established in 2001 dedicated to honoring all area officers killed in the line of duty. The organization’s primary goal is to build the first-ever Cook County Peace Officers Memorial to acknowledge the sacrifices made by these officers. By resolution, the Cook County Board of Commissioners has designated May 10th as Peace Officer Day of Recognition and Remembrance in Cook County. For more information about the Peace Officers Memorial Foundation of Cook County, or about the May 10th ceremony, visit www.pomfcc.org