Roll of Honor
Incident
Police Officer Helen P. Cardwell was killed in a vehicle crash in the 1900 block of South Sacramento Drive. She was on her way to exchange an unmarked squad car for her assigned car when her vehicle left the roadway and struck two trees. She was removed from the car by firefighters and, at 10:45 a.m., was pronounced dead at Mt. Sinai Hospital. Officer Cardwell became a police officer in 1970. She had been assigned to the Speaker's Unit of the Senior Citizens Division since its establishment in 1982. Several times each day, Officer Cardwell would meet with the elderly to teach them the simple but crucial rules of crime prevention. In her career, Officer Cardwell collected one honorable mention and 127 letters of commendation.
Survivors
She was survived by her husband, also a police officer in the Deering District, a son, and a brother.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-IL-E1DD18ED- Stewardship
- Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
- 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.
Police Officer Cardwell gave the Chicago Police Department 18 years.
Thank you for your service to the Chicago community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Police Officer Cardwell.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Police Officer Helen P. Cardwell is one of 10,088 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 31% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In IL, 354 of 1,318 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 26.9% of this state's fallen. That is 4.1 percentage points below the national rate of 31%.
At Chicago Police Department, 107 of 571 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 18.7% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Helen P. Cardwell's cause is highlighted.
How Helen P. Cardwell Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Helen P. Cardwell is highlighted in May.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
570 officers from Chicago Police Department are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
