Death Classification: Line of Duty Death
Agency: Chicago Police Department
Served: 10 years, 6 months, 14 days
Unit of Assignment / Detail: 22nd District - Maxwell
District of Incident (Present Day): 012 - Near West
Cause of Death: Crash - Automobile
Age at Time of Death: 39
Timeline
Date of Birth: 18 Aug 1900
Date of Appointment: 11 Feb 1929
Date of Incident: 19 Aug 1939
End of Watch: 25 Aug 1939
Date of Interment: 29 Aug 1939
Interment Details
Cemetery: Mount Carmel Cemetery - Hillside, Illinois
Grave Location: Unknown
Interment Disposition: Burial
Memorial Details
Superintendent’s Honored Star Case:
Gold Star Families Memorial Wall: Panel # 11
Illinois Police Officers Memorial Wall:
National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Wall:
Officer Down Memorial Page: Listed
Service
Military Service: No Military Record Found
Incident & Biographic Details
Patrolman Emmett Denis Laughlin, Star # Unknown, aged 39 years, was a 10 year, 6 month, 14 day veteran of the Chicago Police Department, assigned to the 22nd District – Maxwell.
On August 19, 1939, Officer Laughlin, along with two other officers, were responding to a call when their vehicle collided with another car at the intersection of 14th Place and Union Avenue. Patrolman Laughlin suffered a fractured skull in the accident and succumbed to his injuries at Mother Cabrini Hospital six days later on August 25, 1939.
The driver of the vehicle, Charles Moore, who caused the crash was charged with reckless driving, failure to yield to a police car, and driving without lights.
Officer Laughlin was waked at his residence located at 5516 West Monroe Street. His funeral mass was held at Resurrection Church located at 7201 South Carpenter Street. He was laid to rest on August 29, 1939 in Mount Carmel Cemetery, 1400 South Wolf Road #4, Hillside, Illinois.
Patrolman Emmett Denis Laughlin, born August 18, 1900, received his Probationary Appointment to the Chicago Police Department on February 11, 1929.
Officer Laughlin was survived by his wife, Esther Elizabeth (nee Ireland), age 35; children: Dennis John, age 13 and John, age 4; mother Katherine (nee Grady) and siblings: Frank and Julia Moran. On March 9, 1960, Detective Laughlin’s son, Patrolman Dennis John Laughlin, was also killed in the performance of duty while serving with the Chicago Police Department.