Suburban officers honored to pay respects in Dallas

Naperville police officer Mike Rimdzius feels the bond of brotherhood with the five officers killed in Dallas - not just because they're fellow cops, but because they used to be his colleagues.

Rimdzius worked as a police officer in Dallas from 2001 to 2004 and he's returning to the city Saturday to observe the funeral of the last of the fallen officers to be buried.

He and three members of the Naperville police honor guard are among officers from at least 10 suburban departments traveling to Dallas to pay respects to Michael Krol, Brent Thompson, Lorne Ahrens, Michael Smith and Patrick Zamarripa - the officers killed last week by a sniper during what had been a peaceful protest of the police killings of black men in Louisiana and Minnesota.

"I didn't know the guys who were killed in the line of duty, but I do know some who were working at the protest and were there," Rimdzius said Wednesday. "I felt it would be a great honor to go down there and show support."

Officers from Barrington, Buffalo Grove, Elgin, Hanover Park, Mundelein, Oak Brook, Wauconda and Waukegan are among those also traveling to Dallas. Two officers from Wheaton felt it so important to be there, representing their community and showing solidarity with those who are mourning, that they made the drive from the suburbs to Texas on Tuesday.

Rimdzius along with Sgt. Jim Sakelakos and officers Lou Jourdan and Carolyn Lane were the ones chosen from Naperville to take a free flight from Southwest for the day Saturday to be at Zamarripa's funeral. Some of them are going on a day they'd usually be working, trading shifts with others to make sure the city can be represented as the healing for Dallas begins.

"I don't think people realize how many police officers get injured and killed every year in the line of duty," Sakelakos said. "It could have been any one of us."

When Barrington Detective Lori Allsteadt and officer Rita Kelley boarded their own free Southwest flight Wednesday morning and prayed with a stranger while in the air, their purpose was clear. In their dress uniforms on duty time, they were on their way to the first of three funerals they plan to attend before Saturday.

"It's very important to me to show respect to those who have lost their lives during this time of problems that are going on in this country," Allsteadt said.

At Ahrens' funeral Wednesday morning, Allsteadt and Kelley joined thousands of others like them as the officer's family, colleagues and a Dallas honor guard paid tribute.

"The procession is miles and miles of police squads and motorcycles from everywhere you can think of across the country," Allsteadt said. "That just shows you the amount of support Dallas is receiving."

Suburban officers say they feel immense gratitude for the community support they've received since the protest turned deadly in Dallas on July 7. Taking the form of cookies, cards, well-wishes, even words of praise for officers directing traffic after crashes - the thanks has been palpable, officers say.

"It's really important right now to get that from the public," Allsteadt said.

• Daily Herald staff writers Jessica Cilella and Erin Hegarty contributed to this report.