Roll of Honor
Incident
Lieutenant James F. Day suffered a fatal heart attack after being attacked during a robbery. Shortly after 11:30 p.m., Lieutenant Day was robbed and beaten. His body was found early the next morning in a vacant lot near 8545 South Green Street, within 100 yards of the Gresham Station where he was assigned. Evidence showed Lieutenant Day put up a fight for his life when he was attacked as his right hand was severely bruised. Although death was caused by a heart attack, Lieutenant Day was struck many times on the head and body with a club. Lieutenant Day's pockets were turned inside out, and his wallet was gone when he was found. His widow reported that he cashed his paycheck and had a large sum of money when he left his home for work. His revolver was still in his coat pocket. Lieutenant James Day had served with the Chicago Police Department for 43 years. He was survived by his wife, five daughters, and three sons. His grandson and great-grandson retired from the Chicago Police Department, and two of his great-great-grandsons are currently serving with the Chicago Police Department.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife, five daughters, and three sons.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-IL-1A25548C- Stewardship
- Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
- Added to badge.nw
- April 2, 2026
- Last updated
- July 23, 2026
Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.
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Tributes
43 years. You could have gone home.
Lieutenant Day gave the Chicago Police Department 43 years. Still answering calls at the end.
Thank you for your service to the Chicago community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Lieutenant Day.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Lieutenant James F. Day is one of 1,306 officers lost to cardiac events in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 4% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In IL, 45 of 1,318 officers were lost to cardiac events in the line of duty — 3.4% of this state's fallen. That is 0.6 percentage points below the national rate of 4%.
At Chicago Police Department, 17 of 571 officers on record were lost to cardiac events in the line of duty — 3% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Cardiac compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. James F. Day's cause is highlighted.
How James F. Day Compares
When Cardiac Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Cardiac deaths across the full memorial record. James F. Day is highlighted in Sep.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
570 officers from Chicago Police Department are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
