Roll of Honor

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Police Officer

Joseph P. Cali

Chicago Police Department — Chicago, IL

Veteran → Felonious

End of Watch May 20, 1975

Age 31

Tour of Duty 2 yrs 3 mo

Badge 3271

The Vigil Panel 115 ›

Gender Male

Incident Service The Sacrifice Military Department 570

Incident

Police Officer Joey Cali was shot and killed by a sniper in front of 2103 West Lake Street while writing a parking ticket at about 9:30 pm. He was in the process of writing a citation on a 1966 Chevrolet for being illegally parked at a bus stop when he was suddenly struck in the head by a bullet. Officer Cali was shot by a sniper from a window at the public housing project building located on West Lake Street. He was transported to Cook County Hospital where he died the following day. The juvenile shooter had been in an argument with another neighborhood boy earlier in the evening and was waiting for the boy to make another pass on his bicycle. Before the boy made another pass, the officers arrived and began to write the citation. The killer then told his cousins he was going to shoot an officer and fired the round, which struck Officer Cali. The juvenile was sentenced to 20 to 25 years in prison. He was paroled in 1986 after serving less than half of his sentence. Officer Joseph Cali was a U.S. Army veteran of the Vietnam War and had served with the Chicago Police Department for two years. He is survived by his wife and a 3-year-old and 1-year-old daughter. Officer Cali’s services were held at St. Juliana’s Church on Chicago’s Northwest side and interment was at St. Joseph's Cemetery in River Grove, Illinois. In December 2016, the North Northwest Highway Post Office was renamed Officer Joseph P. Cali Post Office Building.

Survivors

He is survived by his wife and a 3-year-old and 1-year-old daughter.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier: BO-US-IL-BF84070B
Stewardship: Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
Added to badge.nw: August 2, 2026
Last updated: August 2, 2026

Honored here by 1 tribute.

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Also honored at salute.nw — U.S. Army. One record, 2 gates. Joseph is one person.

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Tributes

I served 1985 to 1993. You served too, before the badge - different uniform, same idea. You go where you are sent and you do not get to pick the call.
Police Officer Cali gave the Chicago Police Department 2 years.
Thank you for your service to the Chicago community, and for your service before it. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, brother.

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

Agency

Department Chicago Police Department

Type Police Department

Location Chicago, Cook County, IL

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

Service Record

End of Watch May 20, 1975

Tour of Duty 2 yrs 3 mo

Age 31

Badge Number 3271

Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious

Weapon Rifle

Military Service

Joseph P. Cali served in the U.S. Army before joining law enforcement.

View full service record on salute.nw →

Police Officer Joseph P. Cali is one of 1 officers killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 0% of all 97,759 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 63.9 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

At Chicago Police Department, 396 of 571 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 69.4% of this agency's fallen.

Chicago Police Department

396

of 571 officers

69.4% Felonious

IL — Statewide

842

of 1,318 officers

63.9% Felonious

Nationwide

of 97,759 officers

0% Felonious