ThinBlueNews remembers Police Officer Brian Russell Pierce Jr. of the Brooklyn Police Department in Illinois on the fifth anniversary of his End of Watch, Wednesday, August 4, 2021.
The Officer Down Memorial Page records that Officer Pierce died in the line of duty after he was struck by a fleeing vehicle while attempting to deploy spike strips on the McKinley Bridge during a pursuit. He was 24 years old. This anniversary remembrance avoids graphic detail and centers his service, courage and sacrifice.
Service in law enforcement and the fire service
ODMP lists Officer Pierce's badge as 765 and records two years and nine months of law-enforcement service. It says he served nine months with the Brooklyn Police Department after two years with the Spillertown Police Department. ODMP also records his service with the Makanda Fire Department.
A BackStoppers memorial independently remembers Pierce's August 4, 2021 line-of-duty death and his service with the Brooklyn and Spillertown police departments. The first-responder support organization also says he served as a fire marshal and helped local departments by installing emergency lights on vehicles.
Illinois preserved his name on a memorial highway
In 2023, Illinois lawmakers joined Pierce's family for a memorial-highway dedication after passage of Senate Joint Resolution 31. A state-sponsored archive from Representative Paul Jacobs says the resolution designated part of Illinois Route 37 through Spillertown as the “Officer Brian Pierce Jr. Memorial Highway.”
The state account also remembers Pierce as a graduate of Elkville High School who served with the Elkville and Makanda Township fire departments, worked as a correctional officer at Menard Correctional Center and spent time training younger firefighters. Senator Dale Fowler said Pierce helped build a police department in Spillertown after the community had gone more than a decade without one.
Five years later, still remembered
This is an anniversary remembrance offered with respect for Officer Pierce's family, friends, fellow officers, fellow firefighters and the southern Illinois communities he served. His public memorial record reflects a young life devoted across several forms of first-responder and public-safety service.
Five years after his End of Watch, Police Officer Brian Pierce Jr. is remembered for courage, public service and a commitment to helping protect communities across southern Illinois.
End of Watch
Police Officer Brian Russell Pierce Jr.
Brooklyn Police Department, Illinois
Badge 765
End of Watch: Wednesday, August 4, 2021
Support the organization preserving officer memorial records
ODMP maintains the national memorial record for fallen law-enforcement officers and provides resources connected to fallen officers and their families.
Sources and image attribution
- Officer Down Memorial Page: August 4 line-of-duty death history
- Officer Down Memorial Page: Police Officer Brian Russell Pierce Jr.
- Illinois State Representative Paul Jacobs: 2023 memorial-highway dedication and service remembrance
- The BackStoppers: Officer Brian Pierce Jr. memorial
- ODMP donation page
Featured-image note: ThinBlueNews used the ODMP portrait of Police Officer Brian Pierce Jr. and added a restrained memorial design with visible source attribution. No synthetic likeness, generated officer portrait or representative incident image was used. ThinBlueNews does not claim ownership of the source portrait.
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