Naperville, Wauconda representing suburbs at Baton Rouge funerals

Two Naperville police officers who spent an emotional day less than a week ago attending the funeral of an officer slain in Dallas now are among suburban authorities paying the same respect to officers killed in Baton Rouge.

Wauconda, Park Ridge and Springfield are among other Illinois departments sending representatives from their communities as the officers killed Sunday by a gunman are laid to rest.

The show of compassion follows two instances when multiple law enforcement officers were killed by gunmen after unrest about police shootings of black men in Minnesota and Louisiana. In the first shooting July 7 in Dallas, five officers were killed by a sniper during a protest. In the second, Sunday in Baton Rouge, three officers were gunned down.

Naperville Sgt. Jim Sakelakos and officer Carolyn Lane left early Thursday morning for a 13-hour drive to Louisiana, where they plan to attend funerals for Matthew Gerald and Brad Garafola before returning home Sunday.

Sakelakos called his experience with Lane and two other Naperville officers in Dallas "painful and draining." But he said it's important for officers to honor their counterparts in communities that are mourning.

In Texas, he saw hundreds of residents along the a 23-mile funeral procession route, all showing their appreciation to the officers who keep them safe.

"It was very touching for us just to see that kind of support and to see just the genuine hurt on their faces," Sakelakos said.

He expects he and Lane, both members of the Naperville police honor guard, will endure a similarly moving experience in Baton Rouge.

As the Naperville duo is returning to the suburbs Sunday, Wauconda sergeants Ted Hennessy and Tim Burke will be heading down to attend the funeral Monday morning of the third fallen officer in Baton Rouge, Montrell Jackson.

"Standing up for your brothers and sisters in law enforcement and showing support is huge," Wauconda police Chief Dave Wermes said. "It's something that's near and dear to my heart."

Wauconda also sent six officers to Dallas. But Hennessy and Burke weren't among them.

"When these officers come back, they're emotionally drained," Wermes said. "It just changes things for them. I wanted several different officers to experience that. Although it is a bad experience, it's also a pretty good emotional experience for survivability and well-being."