Richard Groja

Illinois State Police — Springfield, IL

Veteran → Accident

End of Watch May 28, 1933

Age 25

Tour of Duty 2 mo

The Vigil Panel 66 ›

Gender Male

Incident Service The Sacrifice Military Department 66

Incident

Trooper Richard Groja was killed in a motorcycle accident. Trooper Groja was responding to a call in Chicago when he failed to show up. He was found five hours later at Rand Road and Garland Place. It appeared that he lost control of the motorcycle on an S-curve colliding with a tree. Trooper Groja was U.S. Army veteran of WWI and served with the Illinois State Police for only two months.

Survivors

He was survived by his wife and child.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier: BO-US-IL-379D24CF
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. Richard 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.
Trooper Groja served with the Illinois State Police.
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 May 28, 1933

Tour of Duty 2 mo

Age 25

Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Accident

Military Service

Richard Groja served in the U.S. Army before joining law enforcement.

View full service record on salute.nw →

Trooper Richard Groja is one of 1 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 0% of all 97,772 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 97,772 officers

0% Accident