Chicago Police Department, Illinois
End of Watch: Tuesday, May 20, 1975
Age: 31
Tour of Duty: 2 years
Badge Number: 3271
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: May 19, 1975
Weapon Used: Rifle; .22 caliber
Suspect Info: Paroled in 1986
Police Officer Joseph P. Cali was shot and killed by a sniper in front of 2103 West Lake Street while writing a parking ticket at about 9:30 pm.
He was in the process of writing a citation on a 1966 Chevrolet for being illegally parked at a bus stop when he was suddenly struck in the head by a bullet. Officer Cali was shot by a sniper from a window at the public housing project building located on West Lake Street.
He was transported to Cook County Hospital where he died the following day.
The juvenile shooter had been in an argument with another neighborhood boy earlier in the evening and was waiting for the boy to make another pass on his bicycle. Before the boy made another pass the officers arrived and began to write the citation. The killer then told his cousins he was going to shoot an officer and fired the round, which struck Officer Cali.
The juvenile was sentenced to 20 to 25 years in prison. He was paroled in 1986 after serving less than half of his sentence.
Officer Joseph Cali was a U.S. Army veteran of the Vietnam War and had served with the Chicago Police Department for two years. He is survived by his wife and a 3-year-old and 1-year-old daughter. Officer Cali’s services were held at St. Juliana’s Church on Chicago’s Northwest side and interment was at St. Joseph's Cemetery in River Grove, Illinois.
In December 2016 the North Northwest Highway Post Office was renamed Officer Joseph P. Cali Post Office Building.