Elgin police remember the 10 Illinois law enforcement officers killed in line of duty in last year
Debbie Wiseman's brother, Iowa State Trooper Mark Toney, died in the line of duty in September 2011. As the years have passed, Wiseman worries his sacrifice will be forgotten.
She wants to make sure that doesn't happen for her brother or any other officer killed while protecting the lives of others, she said during her keynote speech Thursday at the Elgin Police Department's 2025 Memorial Service, held at The Hemmens Cultural Center on National Peace Officers Memorial Day.
'He is never forgotten. Neither are the other fallen officers,' said Wiseman, who also spoke at last year's service.
The memorial day was established by President John F. Kennedy in 1962. It always falls within National Police Week, which this year was May 11-17.
During the ceremony, Elgin police recognized the 10 Illinois law enforcement officers who died in 2024. They were:
There were 165 on-duty police deaths nationwide last year, Police Chief Ana Lalley said at the event. This year, 25 have been killed as of mid-May, she said.
Wiseman's brother died 13 years ago. He was the youngest of four children from a military family.
'He always wanted to be a cop,' Wiseman said.
With 24 years served, Toney was looking forward to retirement when he died in a car crash during a high-speed chase. Wiseman had talked to him right before his shift started, she said.
After his death, Wiseman's family received a lot of support from other officers, she said. 'I lost a brother, but I gained an entire family,' she said.
Wiseman is past president of the Illinois Chapter of Concerns of Police Survivors (C.O.P.S.), an organization that assists families of fallen police officers and supports officers while on the job. Families know how difficult it is to be a police officer in these times, she said.
'We see you. We appreciate you,' Wiseman said.
Police Chaplain Al Keating offered a prayer for Elgin officers and all police officers.
The meaning of the memorial day is to 'honor the courageous who selflessly answered the call to protect and serve, often (giving) the ultimate cost of their own lives,' Keating said.
'Lord, we thank you for these remarkable individuals, for their unwavering commitment to justice, for their courage in the face of danger and for their willingness to place the safety of others above their own.
'Let their stories of bravery ignite passion within the hearts of those who continue to carry the torch of justice forward,' Keating said.
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