HJ0072 99TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

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HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, It is highly fitting that the Illinois General Assembly pays honor and respect to individuals who have given their lives in the line of duty; and

WHEREAS, Morris Police Department Patrolman Clarence Roseland's honorable service was tragically cut short when he was killed in the line of duty on February 3, 1935; and

WHEREAS, Patrolman Roseland left behind his wife, Bertha, and his children, including Marge, Lois, Wayne, and Chuck; and

WHEREAS, On the night Patrolman Roseland was killed, both he and his partner, Ed Garrity, were making their regular rounds patrolling the stores and businesses in the downtown area; and

WHEREAS, While on the 800 block of Liberty Street, Officer Garrity had gone into a nearby building to attend to some personal matters; Patrolman Roseland began to walk the streets, checking local business; and

WHEREAS, When Patrolman Roseland reached Gable's Grocery Store on the east side of the street, he discovered the door was open; he entered the store and was confronted by a man with a gun; he had interrupted a robbery in progress by 3 armed men; and

WHEREAS, The officer was forced at gunpoint to return to his vehicle; when Officer Garrity returned to the squad car, he found that Patrolman Roseland had been shot from behind in cold blood and had died almost instantly; and

WHEREAS, The robbers fled the scene with a female hostage, who they released later near Joliet; the criminals successfully robbed a total of nearly $60; and

WHEREAS, After several months, the robbers were apprehended and Louis Lutz was charged with the murder of Patrolman Roseland; and

WHEREAS, The murder of Clarence Roseland was a tragedy that greatly affected the residents of Grundy County for many years to come; he was a great and noble man who was a respected citizen of his community; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-NINTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE SENATE CONCURRING HEREIN, that we designate the portion of Illinois Route 47 over the Illinois River bridge from Pine Bluff Road to Washington Street as the Patrolman Clarence Roseland Memorial Road; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Illinois Department of Transportation is requested to erect at suitable locations, consistent with State and federal regulations, appropriate plaques or signs giving notice of the name of the Patrolman Clarence Roseland Memorial Road; and be it further

RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be presented to the family of Clarence Roseland, the Secretary of the Illinois Department of Transportation, the Morris Police Department, and the Mayor of the City of Morris.