Roll of Honor
Incident
Patrolman John Grasser succumbed to complications of a gunshot wound sustained on July 8th, 1933.
He was attempting to shoot a rabid dog when he accidentally shot himself in the foot. He never fully recovered from the wound and experienced complications and blood poisoning. He died in Holy Cross Hospital on February 15th, 1938.
Patrolman Grasser had served with the Chicago Police Department for nine years.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife, daughter, two sons, mother, and two sisters.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-IL-9DF6D3A8- Stewardship
- Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
- Added to badge.nw
- August 2, 2026
- Last updated
- August 2, 2026
Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.
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Tributes
I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Patrolman Grasser gave the Chicago Police Department 9 years.
Thank you for your service to the Chicago community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Patrolman Grasser.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Patrolman John W. Grasser is one of 10,094 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 31% of all 32,585 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 Chicago Police Department, 107 of 571 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 18.7% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. John W. Grasser's cause is highlighted.
How John W. Grasser Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. John W. Grasser is highlighted in Feb.
Others Who Wore This Badge
570 officers from Chicago Police Department are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
