CHICAGO — A Chicago police memorial that honors fallen and injured officers was defaced by graffiti last weekend.
The Gold Star Families Memorial, which is in the 1400 block of South Campus Drive, was spray-painted early Saturday. The memorial honors all Chicago police officers who have been injured or who have died in the line of duty since the department was created in the 1830s.
Pat Camden, spokesman for the Fraternal Order of Police, said defacing the memorial was "despicable," and whoever did it is "a piece of s---."
"To me it's the equivalent of defacing a synagogue," Camden said. "It is a very sacred site to police officers, and we don't take it lightly."
The memorial was installed and dedicated in 2006.
John Gordon, a spokesman for the Chicago Police Memorial Foundation, said this was the third time the memorial had been defaced, though the Chicago Park District paid "special attention" to the memorial.
The graffiti "was removed immediately," Gordon said.
Anyone with information on the damage is asked to call detectives at 312-747-8380.
