Roll of Honor
Incident
Patrolman Thomas Burke was pursuing a speeder when his motorcycle overturned at the intersection of Crawford Avenue (modern-day Pulaski Street) and Huron Street. He was fatally injured when the motorcycle he was riding in struck a lump of coal and overturned as he and his partner attempted to stop a speeding vehicle. Patrolman Burke had served with the Chicago Police Department for 14 years.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-IL-BE3F7924- 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.
Patrolman Burke gave the Chicago Police Department 14 years.
Thank you for your service to the Chicago community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Patrolman Burke.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Patrolman Thomas W. Burke 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 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. Thomas W. Burke's cause is highlighted.
How Thomas W. Burke Compares
Offender Outcome
Not available
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Thomas W. Burke is highlighted in Jun.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
570 officers from Chicago Police Department are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
