Roll of Honor
Incident
Officer Harold Koehncke was shot and killed after making a traffic stop for a vehicle failing to stop at a stoplight. About 9:00 pm, a vehicle was stopped at 144th Street and Chicago Road. The driver briefly attempted to pull away when instructed to proceed to the police station. Officer Koehncke decided to take the suspects into custody by driving their car as he was on motorcycle patrol. While en route, Officer Koehncke was shot four times in the back of the head. Despite being mortally wounded, he returned fire, wounding two suspects before the vehicle swerved, crashing into a tree and overturning. All four suspects fled on foot to a nearby wooded area. With the help of a citizen's posse from Dolton and nearby towns, three of the suspects were apprehended, but one was never caught. All three suspects confessed to their involvement, with the shooter having been paroled from an Indiana prison 35 days earlier. The suspects told authorities that they were en route to rob a drug store when they were stopped. A jury found the three suspects guilty of murder, with the shooter, 19, being sentenced to 35 years; his brother, 18, sentenced to 14 years, and the other subject, 21, sentenced to 25 years. He was denied parole on December 28, 1944. Officer Koehncke served the two-man Dolton Police Department for three years and was also a volunteer firefighter. He was survived by his wife and young son. Officer Koehncke was buried in Mount Greenwood Cemetery.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife and young son.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-IL-733B1792- Stewardship
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- 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.
Officer Koehncke gave the Dolton Police Department 3 years.
Thank you for your service to the Dolton community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Officer Koehncke.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Officer Harold J. Koehncke is one of 17,623 officers killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 54.2% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In IL, 842 of 1,318 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 63.9% of this state's fallen. That is 9.7 percentage points above the national rate of 54.2%.
National Cause Distribution
How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Harold J. Koehncke's cause is highlighted.
How Harold J. Koehncke Compares
Offender Outcome
Sentenced to 35 years
When Felonious Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. Harold J. Koehncke is highlighted in Jul.
Weapons Used Against Officers
Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. Harold J. Koehncke was killed by handgun.