CHICAGO — A funeral is being held Wednesday for a former Chicago police officer who was critically injured by a drunk driver in a crash 37 years ago.
Jim Crowley was just 22 years old and fresh out of the academy when a drunk driver struck his squad car near 15th Street and Ashland Avenue on Sept. 4, 1987. Crowley was paralyzed in the crash and sustained traumatic brain injuries, leaving him unable to care for himself.
Crowley had been receiving specialized care at a home in Texas. In late 2019, he returned to Chicago for a special police roll call in Mount Greenwood.
He died last month at the age of 59.
A funeral procession will take place Wednesday morning and end at St. Christina Catholic Church where the services will take place, followed by a burial.