Mount Prospect donates proceeds from police patch sales to fund for fallen first responders

Mount Prospect reached closure Tuesday on the issue of the controversial "thin blue line" patch, when it handed out a check from money raised by sales of the decommissioned patches to a fund for fallen first responders at police headquarters.

Police Chief John Koziol presented a check for $22,841 to Caitlyn Brennan, chief executive officer of the Chicago-based 100 Club of Illinois. The organization helps provide for the dependents of fallen first responders.

On hand for the ceremony was 11-year-old Delaney Dixon, who raised $750 for the 100 Club on Christmas Eve by selling luminarias, which then were placed along her street.

In August, village trustees voted 4-3 to recommend removal of the patch. It was then taken off the officers' uniforms.

The patch had generated months of heated debate, with opponents saying the blue line had become associated with white supremacists, while defenders, including Koziol, said it paid tribute to fallen officers.

The police department put the patches up for sale to benefit the 100 Club.

"We decided to come up with something positive here, and I can't think of a more worthy cause," Koziol said.

He said the 100 Club does not advertise, "so this will help that, because they are a really great charity for law enforcement and firefighters."

Brennan said in its 55 years of existence, the 100 Club has helped 299 families.

She said if the any of Illinois' 80,000 first responders were to fall in the line of duty, the organization would help their families.

This includes immediate assistance in the first weeks following their death, including help with funeral arrangements and educational support for survivors.

"We have families that we have known from the very beginning, from 1966, that we are still in touch with, that we assist with resources or keep in touch with their department," Brennan said.

She said since April of 2020, 24 first responders have fallen in the line of duty. As a result, 19 more children have joined the organization's educational assistance program. These are college-age kids who are getting their entire tuition paid.

"It's Christmastime, and Christmas is all about giving back, and it's my way of saying thank you for your service (to the police department)," said Delaney, who collected $750 by selling five luminarias for $10.

"Her mission was to light up Kenilworth (Avenue)," said her mother Susan Dixon. She added, 24 neighbors participated, placing lights along the 200 and 300 blocks.

"Her cousin is a police officer in Northbrook, so she has always admired them and they have always been our heroes," Susan Dixon said.

Mount Prospect Mayor Paul Hoefert, who supported keeping the patch, said it was making the best out of a bad situation.

"It's like making lemonade out of lemons," he said. "We had a situation that eliminated the patch, but now has created a very positive outcome and a donation to a great organization that supports the fallen."

Hoefert said he feels the community now has gotten beyond the discussion over the patch - the symbol not only was removed from police uniforms, but also from the police department logo.

"Sometimes people bring it up and it's like, 'No, we're done.' The patch is gone, we're doing a positive thing today, and we move on," he said.