Roll of Honor
Incident
Policeman Red McCarthy was killed in a motorcycle accident at the intersection of Graceland Avenue and Rand Road in Des Plaines at approximately 2:00 am
He and another officer were on patrol when a vehicle turned left in front of them, causing a collision. Policeman McCarthy succumbed to his injuries while being transported to Des Plaines Emergency Hospital.
The driver of the car that caused the collision was arrested and charged with manslaughter.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-IL-3D4874C4- 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
I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Policeman McCarthy served with the Cook County Highway Police.
Thank you for your service to the Chicago community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Policeman McCarthy.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Policeman Robert "Red" McCarthy is one of 10,088 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 31% of all 32,508 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 4.1 percentage points below the national rate of 31%.
At Cook County Highway Police, 11 of 13 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 84.6% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Robert "Red" McCarthy's cause is highlighted.
How Robert "Red" McCarthy Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Robert "Red" McCarthy is highlighted in Aug.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
12 officers from Cook County Highway Police are honored on badge.nw.
