38th Name Added To Will County Law Enforcement Memorial Wall: Photos

JOLIET, IL ? Several hundred people gathered at noon on Thursday for the 44th Annual Law Enforcement Memorial Day, held on the grounds of the former Will County Courthouse.

"Unfortunately, over the last year, we had to add the name of Illinois State Police, Trooper Clay M Carns, to the Memorial Wall," Rockdale Police Chief Butch Dykstra announced in his press release highlighting the event. "Trooper Carns was struck and killed by a passing vehicle on I-55 near Channahon, clearing debris from the highway, on December 23, 2024. Trooper Carns was an 11-year veteran of the Illinois State Police and is survived by his wife, two children, and parents."

The ceremony began at 10:30 a.m. with Mass at St. Mary Magdalene Church in Joliet, followed by a procession to, and service at, the Memorial Wall on the lawn of the old Will County Courthouse.

The 38 fallen heroes, whose names are engraved on the granite memorial, sacrificed it all for various departments throughout Will County. Ten sacrificed their lives from the Illinois Department of Corrections, eight from the Joliet Police Department, six from the Will County Sheriff?s Department, six from the Illinois State Police, two from the Lockport Police Department and the Crest Hill Police Department, one from each of the following, Frankfort Police Department, the Illinois Conservation Police, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Will County Probation Department.