🕯️ CPD HONORS 608 OFFICERS KILLED IN THE LINE OF DUTY

730 BOOM RADIO | CHICAGO NEWS

📍CHICAGO 💙 Chicago paused for a solemn night of remembrance as the names of 608 Chicago police officers who died in the line of duty were honored during the annual Candlelight Vigil at the Gold Star Families Memorial and Park.

This is one of those stories where the numbers matter, but the names matter more.

Hundreds of officers, Gold Star families, loved ones and supporters gathered as the fallen were remembered individually. The annual ceremony includes the reading of the names of officers whose service ended with the ultimate sacrifice.

The memorial on Chicago’s Museum Campus serves as the site of CPD’s yearly candlelight vigil and was specifically designed to honor officers who died serving the city. Chicago Park District

This year's remembrance comes after another painful loss for the department. Officer John G. Bartholomew died in the line of duty on April 25, 2026, according to the Chicago Police Chaplains Ministry’s memorial records. Chicago Police Chaplains Ministry

The Chicago Police Memorial Foundation’s mission extends beyond preserving the memories of fallen officers. The organization also provides assistance to families of officers killed or catastrophically injured in the line of duty. Chicago Police Memorial Foundation

For the families standing there holding candles, these aren't simply names engraved into stone.

They're husbands and wives. Mothers and fathers. Sons and daughters. Partners and friends.

And behind every badge being remembered is a family that had to learn how to keep living after somebody they loved didn't come home.

Tonight, Chicago remembers 608 lives and 608 stories of service.

May their families continue to find strength, and may their names never be forgotten. 🕯️💙

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