Briefs: Officer memorial today

The public is invited to join police officers from several departments in the Northwest and West suburbs who will gather in West Dundee this evening for the annual Peace Officer Memorial Day celebration. The event, which honors police officers who've died in the line of duty over the past year, will feature an honor guard and flag presentation, prayer readings and keynote address by Schaumburg's Tom Jensen. His son, Jared, was working for the Colorado Springs, Colo., department when he was shot and killed while chasing a suspect in 2006. Tonight's event will also feature a display of law enforcement equipment in the parking lot. Participating departments include Schaumburg, Lake in the Hills, Itasca, Prospect Heights, Hoffman Estates, Sleepy Hollow and the Cook County bomb squad. The observance takes place at First Congregation Church of Dundee, 900 S. Eighth St./Route 31. The equipment will be on display starting at around 5 p.m., with the program beginning at 7 p.m. Nearly 200 officers throughout the country died while on the job in the past year.

Gunman robs employee

An employee closing a Dollar Store in Des Plaines was robbed of the night deposit bag late Tuesday. The masked offender put an object believed to be a gun against the victim's head about 10:20 p.m. Tuesday, and demanded the deposit bag outside the Dollar Store, 1031 E. Oakton St. He then fled on food with the bag, police said. A Rosemont police canine was called to the scene but failed to pick up the robber's trail, police said. Des Plaines police describe the man as 5 feet 7 inches, 155 pounds. He was wearing a dark ski mask, brown coat and dark pants.

Memorial tourney starts

The Casey Pohl Memorial Tournament runs today through Sunday at baseball fields throughout Palatine. Thirty-two suburban teams will compete in 11- and 12-year-old age brackets. The tournament, sponsored by Palatine Youth Baseball and Softball, is in memory of Casey Pohl, a 2001 Fremd High School graduate and varsity baseball player who died of cancer in 2003. Some proceeds will go toward a scholarship in Pohl's name. The recipients -- senior baseball players from both Fremd and Palatine high schools -- will be introduced at an awards ceremony Sunday at Hamilton Field. For more information on the league, go to pyb.com.