Sergeant Frank Svec

Frank Svec

Sergeant Frank Svec and Patrolman Edger Chatterton were shot and killed by a man they attempted to serve a warrant on for truancy, as he had refused to send his two children to school because he opposed vaccination.

As the two officers stood on the front porch of the home, the suspect fired several times through his glass front door.

The suspect was captured a few minutes later and stated he thought the two officers were burglars but was convicted of Sergeant Svec's murder and sentenced to life in prison on August 2, 1933. On October 18, 1934, the Illinois Supreme Court reversed and remanded the conviction and sentence, stating there was reasonable doubt. He received a new trial but much to the horror of the Berwyn Police and citizens, no one was notified about the new trial. When no one from the first trial showed up in court, the murder charge was dismissed, and he went home.

Sergeant Svec had served with the Berwyn Police Department for eight years. He was survived by his wife, son, and daughter.