Springfield, IL (CAPITOL CITY NOW) – If it’s the first Thursday in May, it’s police cars from all over Illinois participating in the annual Illinois Police Officers Memorial.

And you had to think Mayor Misty Buscher had Springfield’s experience with second-guessing police on her mind when she said, “You’re required to make split-second decisions under extraordinary pressure, and all the while being questioned by those in the community.”

And, saying his family’s life has become a series of “what ifs,” Ryan Thompson talked about his brother, Trooper Corey Thompson, who died in 2024. “When was that moment that split your world into the before and after; a shattering of all you knew to be good and whole and right? Tragically, we are all here because we have experienced the unthinkable: the trauma of having someone you love and cherish be violently taken without warning, without a final goodbye, a hug, a kiss, and final ‘I love you.'”

Memorial committee president Dave Johnson (pictured), a retired Sangamon County sheriff’s lieutenant, said his wish is that a first Thursday in May would come with no names to add to the memorial southwest of the Capitol. The purpose of the annual ceremony, Johnson said, “is not to honor how your loved one died, but how they lived their life.”

2025 line-of-duty deaths:
Off. Krystal Rivera, Chicago PD
Det. Tim Jones, Park Forest PD

Historic honorees:
Cst. Isom Gilham, Madison County SO
Det. Frank McCaskey, Belt Railway Company PD
SA Edward Fay, Belt Railway Company PD
SA Alexander Lang, Belt Railway Company PD
Prob. Ptlm. Benjamin Devlin, Chicago PD
Dep. Lindley Larrison, Madison County SO
Dep. Charles Monaghan, Alexander County SO

Historic K-9 honorees:
K-9 Bear, ISP