Latest news with #ChicagoPoliceMemorialFoundation
CBS News
3 days ago
- General
- CBS News
Around 1,000 motorcyclists take part in Chicago Police Memorial Foundation Ride to Remember
Around 1,000 motorcyclists took to Chicago roads Sunday to remember police officers who went above and beyond the call of duty for Chicago. The 21st Annual Chicago Police Memorial Foundation's Area Four Ride to Remember took off from the United Center Sunday morning. The ride honored officers who were killed or catastrophically injured on the job. It ended at the Gold Star Families Memorial in Burnham Park, east of Soldier Field. There were ceremonies and tributes to the fallen and the loved ones they left behind. Chicago Police Supt. Larry Snelling spoke at the event at the memorial, as did Chicago Police Memorial Foundation Executive Director Phil Cline — himself a former police superintendent. All proceeds from the Ride to Remember are donated to the Chicago Police Memorial Foundation.
Yahoo
04-05-2025
- Yahoo
Fallen Chicago police officers honored downtown Sunday morning during annual Saint Jude Memorial March
CHICAGO — Members of law enforcement and their families gathered downtown Sunday morning to honor fallen officers during the annual Saint Jude Memorial March. Thousands of police officers are making the solemn procession, which began at 8 a.m. at North Michigan Avenue and East Superior Street. The march travels north to East Chicago Avenue, where it then turns west on Chicago Ave. to North Clark Street. The parade is scheduled to end between 10 and 11 a.m. Gold Star families gathered to look on for the program, held annually to remember the 606 Chicago police officers who have been killed in the line of duty and to honor the sacrifices of their loved ones. The Saint Jude Memorial March comes a day after more than 5,000 people participated in the Chicago Police Memorial Foundation's 21st annual Run to Remember on Saturday, which started at the Gold Star Families Memorial and Park near Soldier Field. The Saint Jude Memorial March is held by the Saint Jude Police League, a non-profit organization dedicated to assisting the men and women of the Chicago Police Department and their families. The organization, which is the oldest fraternal order associated with CPD, provides support to families who have experienced the loss of a loved one serving with the department. Officers with CPD, the Cook County Sheriff's Department and Illinois State Police are among those participating Sunday in the Saint Jude Memorial March, a tradition since 1932. Photos of officers killed in the line of duty lined the parade route Sunday morning up and down Chicago Ave. The march includes bagpipes, a commemorative ceremony and a 21-gun salute. CPD Supt. Larry Snelling will also address those gathered. The last CPD officer killed in the line of duty was 26-year-old Enrique Martinez, shot and killed in November 2024 while conducting a traffic stop in Chatham. He had been with CPD for three years. Read more: Latest Chicago news and headlines The following streets will be closed to traffic during the march: N. Michigan Ave., from East Wacker Drive to E. Chicago Ave. Chicago Ave., from N. Michigan Ave. to N. Clark St. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
04-05-2025
- Yahoo
Thousands honor fallen police officers at 21st-annual Run to Remember in Chicago
CHICAGO – At the Gold Star Families Memorial near Soldier Field, thousands came to run and remember. Police officers, friends and family came out for the 21st Run to Remember, a 5k that raises money for the Chicago Police Memorial Foundation which supports officers injured in the line of duty and the families of those who lost their lives. 'I feel so proud of my son and what he did in his beautiful life,' Officer Luis Huesca's mother Edith Huesca said. Just over a year ago, Edith lost her son Luis. He had just gotten off his shift days before his 31st birthday when he was shot and killed. SEE ALSO: Chicago honors slain police officer Luis Huesca with memorial mass, roll call This is now Edith's second year being a part of the Gold Star Families. 'Those families are still grieving just like the other families from our officers who've fallen in the past, and we're here for a reason,' Chicago Police Department Supt. Larry Snelling said. Snelling is well aware of the bond officers form in the field as well as the bond families form together in grief. 'It's good to know that we can get together and enjoy our time together here and celebrate the officers who came before them and gave their lives to protect the city,' Snelling said. Read more: Latest Chicago news and headlines For Edith and the other family members, the event serves as their way of staying connected with the community that meant so much to the ones they loved. 'Our police officers need a lot of support,' Edith said. 'Always I will love him and always I will have him in my heart and my soul…and all around me as an angel.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
CBS News
15-04-2025
- CBS News
Fallen Chicago police officer Enrique Martinez honored on memorial wall near Soldier Field
At a somber ceremony outside Soldier Field, the Chicago Police Memorial Foundation added the name of fallen officer Enrique Martinez to the wall at Gold Star Families Memorial & Park on Tuesday. Martinez, 26, was shot and killed during a traffic stop near 80th and Ingleside on Nov. 4, 2024. "We've seen it over the years; officers losing their lives, gone too soon," Police Supt. Larry Snelling said. Martinez's family gathered with friends and fellow officers at Gold Star Families Memorial & Park to add his name to the memorial wall outside Soldier Field. His family also received a folded American flag from Snelling. Martinez had been on the job for nearly three years when he and his partner stopped a vehicle with three people inside near 80th and Ingleside on Nov. 4, after the car had been blocking traffic. Police have said, when Martinez and his partner approached the car and began speaking with the driver, a man in the back seat reached for a bag on the floor. The officers told the man to stop reaching, but he pulled out a handgun with machine gun conversion device and an extended magazine, and started shooting, killing Martinez, as well as the man driving the car. Martinez was engaged to be married and would have marked three years on the force in December.
Yahoo
31-03-2025
- Yahoo
‘Get Behind the Vest' breakfast looks to raise money for new bulletproof bests for CPD officers
CHICAGO – At St. Ignatius College Prep, pancakes fed the prayers of people looking to help. On Saturday morning, Ald. Bill Conway (34th Ward) hosted a 'Get Behind the Vest' breakfast for the first time. Since 2014, these events have cooked up the funds for the Chicago Police Memorial Foundation's efforts to help Chicago police officers buy new bulletproof vests. 'Chicago police officers have our back, so it's important that we have theirs and we're putting a good bulletproof vest on their backs,' Conway said. Weekend Break: White Sox celebrate families with Kids Opening Day on the South Side While the city gives each officer a bulletproof vest when they come out of the academy, officers are responsible for replacements every five years. 'Officers don't replace their vests like they should upon expiration. They kind of roll the dice and wait to see, and they spend their money on family and the house and everything else,' Maureen Biggane with the Chicago Police Memorial Foundation said. Just last year, Officer Edwin Gramajo's life was saved when his vest caught a bullet. 'He was in his squad car. You'll see pictures of where the bullet penetrated the windshield and then struck him in the vest. Thank God he was wearing his vest, saved his life undoubtably and we were able to provide him with a replacement vest after that incident,' Biggane said. So far, the police memorial foundation has replaced 14,000 vests at a cost of about $500 each. Read more: Latest Chicago news and headlines 'Any protection we can get for our officers, especially when they're facing the types of challenges they're facing out there. We know how many officers we've lost over the last two years and we don't want that to happen again. We want to keep our officers safe when they're out there keeping others safe. Those bullet proof vests do a lot to protect our officers,' CPD Supt. Larry Snelling said. Conway hopes to raise over $100,000 from sponsors and pancake sales. 'In the military, I was in Afghanistan and wore a bulletproof vest. So I want to make sure that our police officers have the protection they need,' Conway said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
