St. Anne Police Department, Illinois
End of Watch: Friday, August 30, 1974
Age: 38
Tour of Duty: 14 years
Badge Number: Not available
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: August 30, 1974
Weapon Used: Handgun; .22 caliber
Suspect Info: Shot and killed
Chief Rudolph Dandurand was shot and killed in the early morning hours while on patrol with his wife, which was a common practice for her to ride along with him.
When Chief Dandurand received a call of there having been some trouble at a bar and was told who was involved, he proceeded to the garage where the trio hung out. The chief spotted the suspects in their car and disarmed the driver of a .22-caliber pistol, placing it in the squad car. The chief didn't notice that one of the suspects moved off to the side and reached into the squad car, grabbing the pistol. The suspect shot the chief in his left side, who then turned and tossed his service weapon over the seat of the squad car as he radioed for assistance.
A second shot then rang out, in the direction of the chief's wife, who picked up Chief Dandurand's service weapon and returned fire, killing two of the suspects at the scene. The third suspect fled behind the garage where he surrended to sheriff's deputies later. Chief Dandurand was transported to St. Mary's Hospital in Kankakee where he died less than an hour later.
Chief Dandurand had served with the St. Anne Police Department for 14 years and had planned to retire from his job as police chief the following week. He was survived by his wife.