04-05-2025
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.
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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.
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