New memorial for fallen officers proposed at Madison County Sheriff's Office

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By ELIZABETH DONALD
Illinois Correspondent

Edwardsville, IL – When Officer Tyler Timmins' name was engraved on the memorial to fallen officers at the Madison County Sheriff's Department, a somber milestone was reached in more ways than one.

Timmons, a 15-year veteran of the Pontoon Beach Police Department after serving in three other departments, was shot and killed while investigating a stolen vehicle and died shortly after suffering his injuries.

That same year, Brooklyn police officer Brian Pierce Jr. was struck and killed by a fleeing vehicle while deploying spike strips on the McKinley Bridge.

Both names were added to the small memorial in front of the sheriff's department and jail in Edwardsville, Illinois, which meant there was no more room on the memorial. The names of all officers who died in the line of duty in Madison County are commemorated there, dating back to 1893.

But there are names that have been forgotten over the years, as well as the possibility of future officers being killed in the line of duty.

“I hope we never add another name, that’s the goal,” said Det. Jason Thatcher, unofficial historian for the Madison County Sheriff's Department and steward for Unit 118 of the Illinois Police Benevolent and Protective Association.

A NEW MEMORIAL
For three years now, Thatcher and a committee of fellow union leaders have been working on the memorial. There are 24 names inscribed on it, but several more must be added simply from an examination of the history.

“The only way to add more would be to blame them, and I consider that a lack of respect,” Thatcher said.

Working with Korte Construction, they created the Madison County Fallen Officer Memorial Fund as a 501c3 nonprofit organization separate from the union. The reason for this, according to Thatcher, was that the project promised to be expensive and they did not want to impose that burden on the union.

The rough estimate for the new Korte-designed memorial is about $450,000 to $500,000. Thatcher hopes to raise the money through private donations and the sale of brick pavers for the plaza in front of the sheriff's department. He received support from current Madison County Sheriff Jeff Connor and his predecessor, John Lakin, he said. They have artistic renderings of what the memorial will look like, although the images of the two statues are stand-ins because their designs have not yet been decided, he said.

“A FOCAL POINT”
“We wanted something that could be a focal point as you walked toward the building,” he said. It will include three large stones bearing the names and their watch ends, as well as two statues and three flags. It will replace the space that already exists without encroaching on the parking lot, he said.

The nonprofit will primarily raise money for construction, but will then continue to fund ongoing maintenance, Thatcher said. Their mission statement says they are dedicated to honoring officers who have made “the ultimate sacrifice” within county lines. “With the firm belief that our fallen brothers and sisters must never be forgotten, we will strive to provide a place where our heroes can be remembered forever, and a place where their family, friends and community can pay homage,” we can read.

The project is still in its infancy; they just launched a website at madisoncountyfallenofficersmemorialfund.org, and the next few months will be the first fundraising campaign for the memorial. The stones alone will take at least nine months, Thatcher said, since they can only come from three locations in the United States. In reality, he said, it will take at least a year from the initial filing for the project to be completed.