Roll of Honor
Incident
Deputy Leonard Hurwitz and Deputy William Pottow were killed in an automobile accident at the intersection of Touhy Avenue and Harlem Avenue, in Niles.
The deputies were attempting to stop a car for speeding on Touhy Avenue when their patrol car was struck by a third car. Deputy Pottow died at the scene while Deputy Hurwitz succumbed to his injuries three days later.
Deputy Hurwitz had served with the agency for just over one year and was survived by his wife, child, and parents.
Survivors
Deputy Hurwitz had served with the agency for just over one year and was survived by his wife, child, and parents.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-IL-3F752B0A- 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
You barely got started.
Deputy Sheriff Hurwitz gave the Cook County Highway Police 1 year.
Thank you for your service to the Chicago community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Deputy Sheriff Hurwitz.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Deputy Sheriff Leonard Alvin Hurwitz 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. Leonard Alvin Hurwitz's cause is highlighted.
How Leonard Alvin Hurwitz Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Leonard Alvin Hurwitz is highlighted in Jun.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
12 officers from Cook County Highway Police are honored on badge.nw.
