Crime & Safety
Ceremony to Honor Fallen Downers Grove Police Officer Richard Barth
National Police Week honors police officers who died in the line of duty and runs from May 12 through May 18. Barth, Downers Grove's only fallen officer, was shot and killed in 1974.
Downers Grove officials will hold a memorial service Thursday in honor of Richard Barth, a village police officer who was shot and killed in the line of duty 39 years ago.
The ceremony, scheduled for 1 p.m. Thursday at Patriots Park, 59th Street and Fairview Avenue, is held each year in conjunction with National Police Week, an initiative that brings together between 25,000 to 40,000 attendees from departments throughout the United States and internationally to honor police officers who died while in the line of duty.
Barth, Downers Grove's only fallen officer, was shot and killed on March 18, 1974.
Find out what's happening in Downers Grovewith free, real-time updates from Patch.
That day, Barth was handling what appeared to be a routine call of two suspicious youths in what is now known as Hoopers Hollow Park. While he was questioning the youths, one of the subjects, Paul Fontani, produced a handgun and fatally shot Barth.
The two subjects were later arrested and convicted of first-degree murder. Both are now out of prison.
Find out what's happening in Downers Grovewith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Tens of thousands of law enforcement officers and their families are expected to converge on Washington, DC, this week for National Police Week 2013, May 12 through May 18.
One of the culminating events of National Police Week is the the Annual Candlelight Vigil, now in its 25th year, on May 13. U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder will deliver the keynote address this year, recognizing the fallen police officers from around the country.
“At our annual Candlelight Vigil, we honor all of the brave men and women of law enforcement who put the safety and protection of others ahead of their own—and who made the ultimate sacrifice in the process,” Craig W. Floyd, chairman and CEO of the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund, said in a press release.
During the 2013 ceremony, the names of 321 U.S. law enforcement officers--120 who died in the line of duty in 2012 and 201 officers who died earlier--will be engraved on the memorial, bringing the total to 19,981.
In addition to the annual candlelight vigil, each afternoon and evening the Fraternal Order of Police DC Lodge #1 sponsors receptions throughout the week.
Click here for the National Police Week 2013 full schedule of events.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
There are plenty of ways to keep up on Downers Grove news:
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.
