Charles Levy

Berwyn Police Department — Berwyn, IL

Felonious

End of Watch May 28, 1929

Age 40

Badge Chief

The Vigil Panel 57 ›

Gender Male

Incident Service The Sacrifice Department 5

Incident

Chief of Police Charles Levy succumbed to gunshot wounds suffered three days earlier while he and three officers attempted to arrest one of Chicago's most notorious criminals. The officers were conducting surveillance of a stolen car on 21st Street when they observed two suspects approach the vehicle. When the officers attempted to arrest the men, shots were fired, and Chief Levy was mortally wounded. The suspect escaped down an alley while the other suspect was arrested. The suspect was wanted on a charge of shooting and wounding a postal inspector in a hotel on Chicago's North Side three weeks earlier. After shooting Chief Levy, he fled to Chicago, where he shot and killed an Oak Park druggist on June 18. Two nights later, he shot and mortally wounded a restaurant owner on Chicago's South Side, stole a car, robbed a drug store, and shot and wounded a policeman who pulled him over. On August 13, he was captured by Chicago police in an apartment on West Jackson Boulevard. The suspect was convicted of the murder of Chief Levy and sentenced to death on October 25, 1929. The Illinois Supreme Court granted him a new trial on April 8, 1931. He was sentenced to life in prison on June 26, 1931, and later died in prison on September 29, 1955, of liver disease.

Survivors

Chief Levy was survived by his wife and five sons.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier: BO-US-IL-95B5B7AF
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Added to badge.nw: April 2, 2026
Last updated: July 23, 2026

Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.

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Tributes

I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Chief of Police Levy served with the Berwyn Police Department.
Thank you for your service to the Berwyn community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Chief of Police Levy.

— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993

Agency

Department Berwyn Police Department

Location Berwyn, IL

Platform Identity berwpd.cook.il.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch May 28, 1929

Age 40

Badge Number Chief

Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious

Weapon Gun; Unknown type

Offender Life in prison

Chief of Police Charles Levy is one of 17,623 officers killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 54.2% of all 32,508 officers honored here.

In IL, 842 of 1,318 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 63.9% of this state's fallen. That is 9.7 percentage points above the national rate of 54.2%.

At Berwyn Police Department, 4 of 6 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 66.7% of this agency's fallen.

Berwyn Police Department

of 6 officers

66.7% Felonious

IL — Statewide

842

of 1,318 officers

63.9% Felonious

Nationwide

17,623

of 32,508 officers

54.2% Felonious