Roll of Honor
Incident
Patrolman David J. Cairns was struck and killed by a vehicle while directing traffic at the intersection of 79th Street and Stony Island Avenue. The driver who struck him was charged with manslaughter. Patrolman Cairns was a U.S. Army veteran of WWI and had served with the Chicago Police Department for 14 years.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife daughter and two sons.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-IL-CD98FECE- 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 served 1985 to 1993. You served too, before the badge - different uniform, same idea. You go where you are sent and you do not get to pick the call.
Patrolman Cairns gave the Chicago Police Department 14 years.
Thank you for your service to the Chicago community, and for your service before it. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, brother.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Military Service
David J. Cairns served in the United States military before joining law enforcement. Full service record available on salute.nw.
Patrolman David J. Cairns 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. David J. Cairns's cause is highlighted.
How David J. Cairns Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. David J. Cairns is highlighted in Feb.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
570 officers from Chicago Police Department are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
