Hector A. Silva
Agency patch
Sergeant

Hector A. Silva

Chicago Police Department — Chicago, IL
Illness
End of Watch October 2, 2001
Age 36
Tour of Duty 11 yrs
The Vigil Panel 149 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Sergeant Hector Silva died after suffering a cerebral hemorrhage while participating in a special operations physical agilities test at the Homan Square facility located at 3340 West Fillmore Street.

He had completed an exercise that involved running up two flights of stairs while carrying a 55-pound sandbag. He began to show symptoms of dizziness and a headache. He was taken to a local hospital where died three days later during surgery to remove the blood clot in his brain.

Sergeant Silva was an 11-year veteran of the Chicago Police Department.

Survivors

He is survived by his wife and two children.

In Our Keeping

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Stewardship
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Added to badge.nw
August 2, 2026
Last updated
August 2, 2026

Honored here by 1 tribute.

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Tributes

I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Sergeant Silva gave the Chicago Police Department 11 years.
Thank you for your service to the Chicago community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Sergeant Silva.

— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993

Agency

Type Police Department
Location Chicago, Cook County, IL
Platform Identity cpd.cook.il.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch October 2, 2001
Tour of Duty 11 yrs
Age 36
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Illness
Cause Detail Duty related illness

The Sacrifice · Illness

Hector is one of 2,028 officers lost to illness in the United States, 7.4% of the 27,551 remembered there.

33,917 officers are remembered on this memorial. Each number below is one of them.

  1. See the roll
  2. See the roll
Compare against
I

Time

In 2001, 2 officers in the United States were lost to illness, the 46th heaviest of 108 years on record. The heaviest was 2021, with 564.

Every year on record · United States
II

Who

Hector was 36. Of the 1,996 lost to illness in the United States whose age is recorded, half were between 42 and 58; the middle age was 51. Hector had served 11 years; the middle length of service was 20 years.

Age at death
Where he stood among them
Age by years of service
III

When

October holds 14.9% of these deaths in the United States, more than any other month. Tuesdays: 13.3%.

By month
By day of the week
IV

How

Illness deaths account for 7.4% of all 27,551 deaths in the United States, the 3rd most common cause.

Every cause
Weapons recorded
V

His people

Chicago Police Department has at least 120 officers remembered here, Hector among them.

Across the years
VI

Where

Sergeant Hector A. Silva

Chicago Police Department · End of Watch October 2, 2001

Where the Name Is Cut

National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial · Panel 30-E

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