Springfield, IL-(Effingham Radio)- The Illinois State Police (ISP) Heritage Foundation hosted a ceremony commemorating the addition of Senior Master Trooper Todd Hanneken’s name to the memorial wall in the ISP Memorial Park located at 615 East Lawrence Avenue in Springfield, IL on March 25, 2022. Family members of Senior Master Trooper Hanneken, ISP Director Brendan F. Kelly, ISP Merit Board Director Emily Fox, and other distinguished guests were present as ISP marked the one-year anniversary of the day Senior Master Trooper Hanneken was taken in the line of duty after being involved in a single-vehicle traffic crash while in his police vehicle.
“The letters on this wall form a message for all who come here, and all who see and read these many, many names. The letters on this wall say ‘remember’,” said ISP Director Brendan F. Kelly. “Because our hearts may ache, the wounds may never completely heal, it is our sacred duty to remember them all, to remember Todd, forever. To not do so, would be to dishonor what Senior Master Trooper Todd Hanneken and his family stand for. We will honor him, we will honor his life of service and the service and sacrifice of his family.”
Senior Master Trooper Hanneken began his watch in Cadet Class100. He was initially assigned to District 15 and then transferred to District 10 in 2002. Senior Master Trooper Hanneken made more than 100 DUI arrests early in his career. In 2019 and 2020, he made more than 500 stops. In May 2018, Senior Master Trooper Hanneken was awarded the Medal for Honor for the heroic actions he took during an incident which he saved the life of an Illinois Department of Transportation worker.
Next Friday, April 1, is the 100-year anniversary, the Centennial, of the Illinois State Police, the day every year designated by law as Trooper Day in Illinois. It will also mark the one-year anniversary of the day the ISP formally ended the watch of Senior Master Trooper Hanneken and said one final goodbye.
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