HJ0086 102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HJ0086 LRB102 26763 MST 37694 r

HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, It is important and appropriate to honor and remember the men and women of the Illinois State Police Trooper Patrol for their contributions to improving public safety; and

WHEREAS, Trooper James Grady Sutton and Chief Daniel Law of the Harrisburg Police Department were shot and killed during an arrest; and

WHEREAS, As Trooper Sutton and Chief Law were escorting three suspects in a stolen car to jail, the violators drew weapons and opened fire on the officers; and

WHEREAS, The officers stopped the vehicle at Poplar and Vine Streets, directing the driver to City Hall for further questioning; Trooper Sutton stood on the left running board and Chief Law on the right running board of the vehicle; as the vehicle approached City Hall, the driver accelerated, and the men in the car drew weapons, killing both officers; and

WHEREAS, Trooper Sutton was struck in the chest and fell to the street near City Hall; before being shot in the head and body, Chief Law was able to cling to the vehicle for four blocks, exchanging gunfire with the suspects and killing one of them until he finally dropped from the vehicle; and

WHEREAS, Trooper Sutton died from his wounds following emergency surgery shortly after midnight; the suspect killed by Chief Law was found in the abandoned vehicle ten miles north of Harrisburg; the other two fugitives were later captured in the state of Virginia and returned to Illinois for trial, where they both received life sentences; and

WHEREAS, Trooper Sutton and Chief Law were buried in adjoining plots in Sunset Lawn Cemetery in Harrisburg; Trooper Sutton was a three-year veteran of the Illinois State Police and was survived by his wife; and

WHEREAS, The service and sacrifice of Trooper Sutton and Chief Law to the people of Illinois should never be forgotten; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE SENATE CONCURRING HEREIN, that we designate Illinois Route 34 within the city limits of Harrisburg as the "Trooper Sutton and Chief Law Memorial Highway"; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Illinois Department of Transportation is requested to erect at suitable locations, consistent with State and federal regulations, appropriate plaques or signs giving notice of the name of "Trooper Sutton and Chief Law Memorial Highway"; and be it further

RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be presented to the surviving members of the families of Trooper Sutton and Chief Law, the Illinois State Police, the Harrisburg Police Department, and the Secretary of the Department of Transportation.