The Illinois State Police (ISP) have announced that every ISP officer killed in the line of duty will be honored with a memorial sign along Illinois roadways. Currently, many of the 73 officers who have died in service are already recognized with these signs, but the new initiative will ensure that every fallen trooper is commemorated. The first ISP officer to lose his life while on duty was Trooper Albert J. Hasson, who was struck by a car while patrolling in McLean County on September 7, 1924. The most recent fatality occurred on December 23, 2024, when Trooper Clay M. Carns was struck and killed while removing debris from Interstate 55 in Champaign County.
Southern Illinois has seen several tragic losses among its ISP officers. Perhaps the most infamous case was the murder of Trooper Lory L. Price and his wife Ethel on January 17, 1927. The couple was kidnapped from their Williamson County home and murdered by the notorious Charlie Birger gang. Lory Price was gunned down on Illinois Route 13, east of Route 166; his body, found weeks later in a farm field, had been shot 18 times, with his badge still pinned to his belt. Ethel Price’s body was later recovered from an abandoned mineshaft. Trooper Price was a World War I veteran and former prisoner of war.
Other fallen Southern Illinois troopers include:
Lt. Clarence M. Robinson, a Grayville native, died of a heart attack on December 28, 1963, on Illinois Rt. 130 at US 50 in Richland County.
Trooper Frank A. Doris of Clay City was shot and killed on March 27, 1967, during a traffic stop on Rt. 45 in Clay County. After pulling over a speeder, Doris was fatally shot in the head. The suspect fled, leading authorities on a high-speed chase before being apprehended near Albion, with Trooper Doris’ ticket book and the murder weapon found in the vehicle.
Trooper Harry B. Bradley died on October 24, 1957, when his cruiser collided with a taxicab on US 50 and Illinois Rt. 1 in Lawrenceville.
Trooper Ralph R. Newman died in a motorcycle accident on August 20, 1941, near Buckner in Franklin County.
Trooper Charles J. Dean died in a motorcycle accident on August 8, 1944, near Benton in Franklin County.
Trooper Grady L. Sutton was shot and killed on June 30, 1932, while making an arrest on Illinois Rt. 34 at Dorris Heights Road in Harrisburg.
Trooper Forrest F. Spencer died on October 27, 1946, after being struck while investigating a traffic crash on Illinois 37 near Olmsted; three civilians also lost their lives in the incident.
Trooper Albert Cecil Brokmyer was shot and killed on November 19, 1939, while attempting to arrest an armed robbery suspect.
Over the coming months, the Illinois Department of Transportation and Illinois Tollway workers will begin installing uniform memorial signs for all fallen ISP officers. Previously, memorial signs varied in design, but the new signs will be standardized, creating a uniform look and honoring the sacrifice of troopers and their families with greater consistency and respect.