Libertyville Police Department Tree Honors Fallen Officers

If you happen to drive by the Libertyville Police Department and notice the lone tree covered with blue lights, there's a reason for those lights.

The officers of Fraternal Order of Police Lodge No. 33 decorated the tree to support Project Blue Light in honor of officers who have died in the line of duty. 

"I hope it's a good enough start just to get the word out," said Tom Evans, president of Lodge No. 33.
 
Project Blue Light was started in the late 1980s by a mom who put a blue light in the window of her Philadelphia home in honor of her son, a fallen police officer, Evans said. 

The woman contacted the Concerns of Police Survivors organization, and that organization has promoted the concept through its various chapters across the country. 

As the new president of Lodge No. 33, Evans said he decided that, for the first time, the Libertyville Police Department would join in promoting Project Blue Light. The Walgreens store on South Milwaukee Avenue donated the lights, and officers decorated the tree.

Ninety-five police officers have died in the line of duty this year, including three in Illinois, Evans said. One of those Illinois officers was James Sauter of Vernon Hills, who died when his squad car was struck by a semi-trailer on March 28. 

Evans said he's been calling other local police departments to encourage them to get involved in Project Blue Light. 

"I kind of feel like it's not enough," he said of the light-decorated tree. "These guys do so much. They don't think about it. But their wives and their children think about it."

Evans added that it would be particularly nice if officers driving around Libertyville saw blue lights in residents' windows.