Fred Kuncl
Agency patch
Patrolman

Fred Kuncl

Berwyn Police Department — Berwyn, IL
Accident
End of Watch April 26, 1920
Age 26
Tour of Duty 1 yrs
Badge 153
The Vigil Panel 38 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Patrolman Fred Kuncl died of wounds suffered a day earlier when he was accidentally shot by another police officer. Patrolman Kincl, who was in plainclothes, responded to a call of a suspicious person on foot in the area of 34th Street and Harlem Avenue, which borders Berwyn and the village of Riverside. While investigating the call, Patrolman Kuncl was accidentally shot and killed by an officer from the Riverside Police Department, who mistook him for a criminal. Patrolman Kuncl was taken to a local hospital where he died the next day from his wounds. The officer from the Riverside Police Department was cleared of all charges. Patrolman Kuncl had served with the Berwyn Police Department for one year.

Survivors

He was survived by his wife.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-IL-72BD3CAF
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.
Patrolman Kuncl gave the Berwyn Police Department 1 year.
Thank you for your service to the Berwyn community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Patrolman Kuncl.

— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993

Agency

Location Berwyn, IL
Platform Identity berwpd.cook.il.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch April 26, 1920
Tour of Duty 1 yrs
Age 26
Badge Number 153
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Accident

Patrolman Fred Kuncl 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 Berwyn Police Department, 2 of 6 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 33.3% of this agency's fallen.

Berwyn Police Department
2
of 6 officers
33.3% Accident
IL — Statewide
354
of 1,318 officers
26.9% Accident
Nationwide
10,088
of 32,508 officers
31% Accident

National Cause Distribution

How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Fred Kuncl's cause is highlighted.

Felonious
17,623 (54.2%)
Accident
10,088 (31%)
Illness
2,974 (9.1%)
Cardiac
1,306 (4%)
Undetermined
260 (0.8%)
Suicide
256 (0.8%)
vehicular
1 (0%)

How Fred Kuncl Compares

Age at End of Watch
26
This officer
Avg for Accident: 38.1 years
Years of Service
1
This officer
Avg for Accident: 9.1 years

When Accident Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Fred Kuncl is highlighted in Apr.

Jan
820
Feb
730
Mar
748
Apr
707
May
847
Jun
795
Jul
897
Aug
937
Sep
913
Oct
925
Nov
872
Dec
897