Roll of Honor

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Trooper

Leo S. Burakowski

Illinois State Police — Springfield, IL

Veteran → Accident

End of Watch September 24, 1958

Age 33

Tour of Duty 1 yrs

Badge 926

The Vigil Panel 94 ›

Gender Male

Incident Service The Sacrifice Military Department 66

Incident

Trooper Leo Burakowski was killed in an automobile accident while patrolling the Illinois Tollway near Libertyville. His patrol car left the roadway and struck a guard rail which impaled the car for its entire length. Trooper Burakowski was thrown from the wreckage and received fatal injuries. Trooper Burakowski had served with the Illinois State Police for one year and was assigned to District 15. He had previously served as a U.S. Air Force military policeman and was a WWII veteran.

Survivors

Trooper Burakowski was survived by his wife.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier: BO-US-IL-2FDDE0C2
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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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.
Trooper Burakowski gave the Illinois State Police 1 year.
Thank you for your service to the people of Illinois, 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 Illinois State Police

Type State Police

Location Springfield, IL

Platform Identity ilsp.il.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch September 24, 1958

Tour of Duty 1 yrs

Age 33

Badge Number 926

Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Accident

Military Service

Leo S. Burakowski served in the the United States military before joining law enforcement.

View full service record on salute.nw →

Trooper Leo S. Burakowski is one of 1 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 0% of all 97,759 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 26.9 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

At Illinois State Police, 49 of 67 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 73.1% of this agency's fallen.

Illinois State Police

of 67 officers

73.1% Accident

IL — Statewide

354

of 1,318 officers

26.9% Accident

Nationwide

of 97,759 officers

0% Accident