Roll of Honor
Incident
Police Officer Joseph Cappello died after contracting COVID-19 through a confirmed exposure while on duty at a business in the 8400 block of West North Avenue.
Officer Cappello had served with the Melrose Park Police Department for two years after having retired from the Cook County Sheriff's Office with 20 years of service.
Beginning in early 2020, thousands of law enforcement officers and other first responders throughout the country began to contract COVID-19 during the worldwide pandemic. Due to the nature of their job, law enforcement officers were required to work and interact with the community even as the majority of the country was self-quarantined. As a result, hundreds of officers died from COVID-related illnesses and other complications.
Corrections agencies, in particular, suffered tremendous losses due to the constant and close proximity between the corrections officers and large inmate populations. Since March 2020, ODMP has verified that over 900 law enforcement officers have died as the result of a confirmed or presumed exposure while on duty and continues to work with hundreds of other agencies that have suffered a COVID-related death.
Visit ODMP's COVID-19 memorial listing every officer who has died as a result of a confirmed or presumed exposure.
COVID-19 and Law Enforcement
Police Officer Joseph Thomas Cappello III died on April 24, 2020 of COVID-19 contracted in the line of duty. He was 55.
He is one of 884 officers honored here.
Beginning in early 2020, law enforcement officers across the country contracted COVID-19 in the course of their duties. While much of the nation sheltered at home, they kept answering calls, making arrests, transporting prisoners, and working face to face with the public. There was no distance to be had from the job.
Corrections officers were hit hardest. Confined facilities and large populations meant constant, close, unavoidable exposure.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-IL-380EE6B4- Stewardship
- Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
- Added to badge.nw
- August 2, 2026
- Last updated
- September 9, 2026
Honored here by 1 tribute.
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Tributes
The country locked its doors. You kept working.
Police Officer Cappello gave the Melrose Park Police Department 22 years.
Thank you for your service to the Melrose Park community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Police Officer Cappello.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Police Officer Joseph Thomas Cappello III is one of 1 officers lost to illness connected to their service across the full record of this memorial — 0% of all 97,784 officers honored here.
In IL, 66 of 1,318 officers were lost to illness connected to their service — 5% of this state's fallen. That is 5 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.
At Melrose Park Police Department, 1 of 2 officers on record were lost to illness connected to their service — 50% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Illness compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Joseph Thomas Cappello III's cause is highlighted.
How Joseph Thomas Cappello III Compares
When Illness Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Illness deaths across the full memorial record. Joseph Thomas Cappello III is highlighted in Apr.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
1 officer from Melrose Park Police Department are honored on badge.nw.
