Every ISP trooper killed in line of duty to be honored with memorial sign along IL roadways

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) - Today, Illinois Trooper Day, the Illinois State Police, Illinois Department of Transportation, Illinois Tollway, and Illinois State Police Heritage Foundation announced every ISP officer killed in the line of duty will be honored with a memorial sign along state roadways.

Governor JB Pritzker said, "The lives and legacies of our fallen State Police Officers deserve to be honored for generations to come, and we will ensure that no sacrifice goes unrecognized. Our State Police put their safety on the line to protect the People of Illinois, and that bravery and commitment will be memorialized along roadways across the state."

Trooper Albert J. Hasson was the first ISP trooper killed in the line of duty. He was hit by a vehicle while on patrol on old Route 66 north of Chenoa in 1924. Since the agency started providing services on April 1, 1922, 73 ISP officers have died in the line of duty.

ISP Director Brendan F. Kelly said, "While the State has installed signs along Illinois highways in dedication of fallen ISP Officers over the years, we recognized there were not signs for every fallen ISP Officer, and to honor them, we are changing that. These Officers made the ultimate sacrifice for us all and these signs are one way to ensure that sacrifice is not forgotten."

IDOT and the Illinois Tollway will be erecting uniform signs for all fallen ISP officers over the next several months.

Existing ISP signs vary in design. The new signs will be standardized for a uniform look.

The General Assembly started passing resolutions in 2011 designating stretches of highways in honor of ISP officers killed in the line of duty. It's believed the first ISP memorial sign was installed on State Highway 13 in honor of Trooper Lory Price, who was murdered, along with his wife, by the Charlie Birger Gang in 1927.