Website Click
'Still in disbelief'
Peoria police mourn loss of veteran officer
Saturday, January 1, 2005
By LESLIE WILLIAMS and clare jellick of the Journal Star
PEORIA - Known for the passion she brought to the job and her willingness to help others, the memory of Cristy Tindall will live on in those who mourned the loss of her life Friday.
Tindall, 33, of Peoria was killed about 9:30 p.m. Thursday when a squad car she was a passenger in slammed into a utility pole at Adams and Van Buren streets.
Tindall, a patrol officer, was a 10-year veteran of the department and served as a field training officer for about the last five years.
The driver of the car, Jason Leigh, a newly hired officer, sustained multiple injuries in the accident, including broken bones, sources said.
Peoria County Coroner Johnna Ingersoll said the driver, later identified by sources as Leigh, was taken to OSF Saint Francis Medical Center following the accident.
On Friday, however, a hospital spokeswoman would only say that no one was there by that name; she also would not confirm if Leigh had been there at all. Sources say the officer's injuries are not life threatening.
The squad car was headed north on Adams, en route to back up another officer who called for assistance regarding a suspicious person, Peoria police spokeswoman Ann Ruggles said. The car hit the utility pole just blocks away from where the officers were heading.
Tindall was pronounced dead about 10 p.m.
"I think she died immediately at the time of the crash,"
Ingersoll said, adding that an autopsy is scheduled for today.
Details of the accident are unclear, and the Peoria Police Department did not release further information Friday, citing the ongoing investigation.
"I'm still in disbelief and denial," said one of Tindall's friends on the force, Detective Elizabeth Blair. "It's like it's not real."
Members of the critical incident stress management team were available to officers who wanted to talk about their fallen co-worker. The mood Friday at the station was somber, with the flag lowered to half-staff and officers wearing black mourning bands over their badges.
"(Tindall) was a fun-loving, easy-going person," Blair said. "She always had concerns about others before herself. She was one that would do anything for you."
Blair worked side-by-side with Tindall about a decade ago when the pair patrolled neighboring districts. They often bumped into each other during foot and car chases, she added.
"I would have her as my backup any day," Blair said. "I wouldn't think twice about it. She was one that was passionate about her job."
Others noticed Tindall's devotion to her job, and for her dedication, she received a lifesaving/valor award in May 2004 and a distinguished service award in 2002.
"She loved coming to work," Blair said. "She enjoyed the different aspects of policing: helping people, the excitement, the thrill and solving cases."
Before Tindall joined Peoria's police force, she worked for the Bartonville Police Department for about six months in 1994. Bartonville Police Chief Brian Fengel said Tindall's goal then was to work for the Peoria Police Department.
"She did an excellent job here," he said. "We just hate to see any police officer killed in the line of duty. It especially hits home when you personally know them."
Tindall's death comes nearly two months after the department's unexpected loss of another veteran officer also known for his valor. Sgt. Michael Butterfield, 55, died Oct. 14 at his home of natural causes.
The last Peoria police officer to die in the line of duty was Donan "Jim" Faulkner, 37, who was fatally shot in September 2001 in the South Peoria district he policed. Jarvis Neely of Peoria, then 19, was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison for Faulkner's slaying.
And not since motorcycle patrolman Norval J. Wright Jr. died in 1953 has a Peoria police officer been killed in a traffic accident. Wright died when his motorcycle was involved in an accident at Hamilton Boulevard and North Street. A memorial was dedicated to him at that location in June 1954. It still stands.
In May 2003, Peoria County Sheriff's Deputy Jim Mulay, 30, died as a result of a two-vehicle crash at Old Galena Road and Cedar Hills Drive while he was on duty.
Friday afternoon, at the scene of Tindall's fatal accident, a bouquet of carnations was tied to the utility pole with a white bow. Two stuffed rabbit toys sat side by side on the ground, which was still covered with shattered glass.
At-large Councilman John Morris sat in his car gazing at the utility pole. He had come to the scene to reflect on Tindall's death.
"It's a tragic loss," he said. "It's a reminder that these people who serve us on the Police Department lead dangerous lives."
Car crashes while on the job are the leading cause of accidental death nationally for police officers, according to the FBI. Between 1994 and 2003, about 56 percent of those accidental deaths were in car crashes.
Peoria police Lt. Steve Peterson said the department is devastated by the death, which makes it painfully clear how careful officers need to be.
"We don't do anyone any good if we can't get there," he said.
