ILLINOIS STATE POLICE MEMORIAL PARK WALL INSCRIPTION CEREMONY
Illinois State Police Troopers Thompsen and Carns Honored and Remembered
June 20, 2025
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 20, 2025
SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois State Police (ISP), Illinois State Police Heritage Foundation (ISPHF), and family and friends unveiled the names of Trooper Corey Thompsen #7081 and Trooper Clay Carns #6512 on the ISP Memorial Park wall in Springfield during individual ceremonies today. Both Trooper Thompsen and Trooper Carns were killed in the line of duty in 2024.
“The names engraved on the ISP Memorial Park wall are not just letters in granite, but a reminder to honor all the brave ISP troopers who were so dedicated to public service, they laid down their lives for us,” said ISP Director Brendan F. Kelly. “Their service and sacrifice are now forever memorialized on the wall and will never be forgotten.”
“The Illinois State Police Memorial Park wall is etched with the names of those ISP troopers who have made the ultimate sacrifice in service to the people of Illinois,” said ISPHF Executive Director Jarod Ingebrigtsen. “The wall is a stark reminder of the dangerous job troopers face each day. It also is a way to honor the men and women who selflessly served as well as those who will come after us to carry on the tenets of Integrity, Service and Pride.”
On October 18, 2024, Trooper Corey Thompsen had just completed a traffic safety detail on Interstate 57. Thompsen was traveling east on East Leverett Road approaching County Road 1300E in Champaign County when a pick-up truck traveling south on 1300 E. Road pulled into the intersection, striking Trooper Thompsen’ s motorcycle. Thompsen was taken to an area hospital where he succumbed to his injuries. Thompsen was 28 years old and served almost five years as an officer with ISP. He is survived by his wife Chelsea, his parents Susan and Steve, and his brothers Mitchell and Ryan.
“This wall represents so much more than honoring the troopers lost while doing a job they loved. It symbolizes the number of devastated families, the quiet homes that were once filled with laughter, the dreams lost, and the futures that once seemed so bright but now only fill those left behind with sadness,” said Chelsea Thompsen. “Even though this wall reminds me of the worst day of my life, I am grateful for one thing, Corey will never be forgotten. Thank you for honoring my husband and my best friend by making Corey, along with so many others, to become eternal.”
On December 23, 2024, Trooper Carns was outside of his squad car removing debris from a lane on southbound I-55 north of Blodgett Road near Channahon when he was struck by a passing vehicle. Trooper Carns was taken to St. Joseph Hospital in Joliet, where at approximately 10:45 p.m., he succumbed to his injuries.
Trooper Carns was 35 years old and served 11 years as an officer with ISP. He was assigned to Troop 3. He is survived by his wife Meghan, children Gray and Ally, parents Patti and Danny Carns, and Erica and Tony, Chad and Becca, Elyssa, Rosalie, and Neal and Debbie.
“We are forever proud of the man Clay was and the heroic way he lived his life,” said Meghan Carns, Clay’s wife. “We are proud to see him honored in this way.”
The Illinois State Police Memorial Park was dedication on October 2, 2018 and contains the names of 74 fallen heroes.
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