Roll of Honor
Incident
Police Officer John J. Lyons was killed when the squad car he was driving struck a tree. The accident occurred at 3:14 a.m. in the 3400 block of North Kimball Avenue. The squad car was northbound on Kimball Avenue responding to a radio assignment when it skidded and spun into a tree. After striking the tree the vehicle continued to spin forcing it to impact a light pole. Officer Lyons was ejected from the vehicle and was found lying in the middle of the street. The passenger, a probationary officer, was extricated and transported to Illinois Masonic Medical Center. The surviving officer was not able to recall any details leading up to the crash. District Patrol Specialist John Lyons was serving as a training officer at the time of the crash. He was a 25-year veteran of the Chicago Police Department and was assigned to the Belmont District. His wife, two daughters, two sons, parents, and two sisters survive Officer John Lyons. On May 25th, 2006, Officer Lyons' star was retired by the Chicago Police Department.
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- April 2, 2026
- Last updated
- July 23, 2026
Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.
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Tributes
25 years. You could have gone home.
Police Officer Lyons gave the Chicago Police Department 25 years. Still answering calls at the end.
Thank you for your service to the Chicago community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Police Officer Lyons.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Police Officer John J. Lyons 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. John J. Lyons's cause is highlighted.
How John J. Lyons Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. John J. Lyons is highlighted in Oct.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
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