Every Illinois State Police officer killed in the line of duty now will be honored for their sacrifice for the people of Illinois with a memorial sign along Illinois roadways.

The Illinois State Police, Illinois Department of Transportation, Illinois Tollway, and the Illinois State Police Heritage Foundation announced the program on Wednesday.

“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,” Gov. JB Pritzker said in a news release. “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 state trooper killed in the line of duty after being struck by a vehicle while on patrol on old U.S. Route 66 just north of Chenoa in 1924. ​

Since the agency began providing services on ​April 1, 1922, 73 state police officers have died in the line of duty, according to the Illinois State Police.

“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,” ISP Director Brendan F. Kelly said in a news release. ​ “These officers made the ultimate sacrifice for us all and these signs are one way to ensure that sacrifice is not forgotten.”

Over the next several months, IDOT and the Illinois Tollway will erect uniform signs for all fallen ISP officers. ​The existing ISP signs vary in design. ​

The new signs will be standardized for a uniform look.

“For the millions of drivers on Illinois roads each day, these signs are a reminder that troopers constantly put their lives on the line to keep the public protected and safe,” said Illinois Transportation Secretary Gia Biagi. ​

“Adding the new, standardized signs along our system will help ensure the service, dedication, and sacrifice displayed by these troopers is properly recognized,” Illinois Tollway Executive Director Cassaundra Rouse said.

The General Assembly began in 2011 passing resolutions designating stretches of various highways in honor of state officers killed in the line of duty.

The first state police memorial sign was installed on Illinois Highway 13 in honor of Trooper Lory Price, who was murdered, along with his wife, in 1927 by the Charlie Birger Gang operating in southern Illinois, the state said.

Here is a list of state troopers to be honored across northern Illinois, including their date of death and the location of their memorial sign:

• Paul E. Clendening, Feb. 16, 1927, Illinois 59 and U.S. 20 intersection, Cook County
• George E. Wheeler, Nov. 22, 1927, Illinois 57 outside Kankakee, Kankakee County
• Robert J. Card, Aug. 12, 1930, Illinois 40 near Illinois 88 south of Rock Falls, Whiteside County
• Frank M. Schwartz, Sept. 11, 1930, Illinois 55 at U.S. 52, Will County
• Kenneth L. Church, Dec. 5, 1931, Illinois 2 at Palmyra Road, Sterling, Whiteside County
• Richard Groja,May 28, 1933, Illinois 294 and U.S. 14, Cook County
• John L. McCabe, Aug. 12, 1933, Illinois 294 and Illinois 88, Cook County
• Frank Tamulis, Aug. 9, 1937, Illinois 294 outside Oak Lawn, Cook County
• Eugene Roberts, Feb. 18, 1940, Illinois 30 and U.S. 34, Kendall County
• Rocco Gragido, Sept. 11, 1940, Illinois 90 and W. 63rd Street, Cook County
• Phillip B. Guinto, Aug. 5, 1943, U.S. 12 and Illinois 134, Lake County
• Samuel Mangiamele, May 25, 1945, U.S. 41, Cook County
• Millard R. Courtney, April 11, 1951, Dixie Highway at 147th Street, Cook County
• Glenn D. Gagnon, Dec. 28, 1952, Illinois 50 north of Kankakee, Kankakee County
• Leo S. Burakowski, Sept. 24, 1958, Illinois 94 near Illinois Tollway Buckley Plaza, Lake County
• Michael T. Angelos, July 13, 1960, Illinois 38, Lombard, DuPage County
• Warren L. Allen, Sept. 21, 1967, Illinois 17 at Riverwood Road, Kankakee County
• Richard G. Warner, April 21, 1969, Illinois 53 at ISP Headquarters, Lockport, Will County
• John H. Kugelman, Nov. 10, 1986, Illinois 355 and Illinois 290, DuPage County
• April C. Styburski, Jan. 5, 1990, U.S. 20 near Pingree Grove, Kane County
• Robert L. Kolowski, Feb. 25, 1993, Illinois 47 in Yorkville, Kendall County
• Chong S. Lim, June 6, 1995, Illinois 90 and Illinois 59 overpass, Cook County
• Anthony Millison, Oct. 27, 1997, Illinois 57 and Thorton-Blue Island overpass, Cook County
• Erin M. Hehl, Oct. 30, 1997, Illinois 55 and Illinois 83 overpass, DuPage County
• Jeffrey Vlcek, July 13, 2003, Illinois 294 at Cicero Avenue, Cook County
• James Sauter, March 28, 2013, Illinois 294 and Willow Road overpass, Cook County
• Christopher Lambert, Jan. 12, 2019, Illinois 294 milepost 49, Cook County
• Gerald Ellis, March 30, 2019, Illinois 94 and milepost 16, Lake County
• Clay M. Carns, Dec. 23, 2024, Illinois 55 and milepost 243, Will County