Roll of Honor
Incident
Sergeant Michael Palese was struck and killed by a train while conducting a search for a 6-year-old girl who had not come home the night before. He was searching railroad tracks near the girl's home during a period of heavy and blowing snow. He was struck by a Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad passenger train on the Roscoe Street trestle, near Kilbourn Park, as he and another officer walked across it at about 12:30 am. The girl was located at her school the following morning after staying a friend's home that night. Sergeant Palese had served with the Chicago Police Department for 20 years.
Survivors
He was survived by his son and mother.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-IL-F9D49CCA- 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
20 years. You could have gone home.
Sergeant Palese gave the Chicago Police Department 20 years. Still answering calls at the end.
Thank you for your service to the Chicago community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Sergeant Palese.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Sergeant Michael R. Palese 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. Michael R. Palese's cause is highlighted.
How Michael R. Palese Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Michael R. Palese is highlighted in Mar.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
570 officers from Chicago Police Department are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
