Michael R. Bailey, a Chicago Police Officer, Star Number 13970, was returning home after an overnight shift guarding Mayor Richard Daley's home when he was shot and killed in the south side's Park Manor neighborhood by men apparently trying to steal his car new.
Michael Bailey was 62-years-old, a 20-year veteran due to retire in weeks. He was shot at about 6:20 a.m. in the 7400 block of South Evans Avenue and pronounced dead at 6:41 a.m. at Northwestern Memorial Hospital.
Officer Bailey was a married father of a son and two daughters. He was an officer in the Central District.
Chicago Sun Times [Published 07-21-2010]
Funeral services and visitation for slain Chicago Police Officer Michael Bailey will be held at the end of the week.
Officer Bailey's wake is scheduled for 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday at A.R. Leak and Sons Funeral Home, 7838 S. Cottage Grove.
The funeral will be at 10 a.m. Friday at St. Sabina Church, 1210 W. 78th Pl.
Flags at all state offices will be flown at half-staff from sunrise Wednesday to sunset Friday in memory of Officer Bailey.
Officer Bailey, 62, was shot and killed about 6 a.m. Sunday, while he was cleaning his car outside his home in the 7400 block of South Evans.
Just a month shy of retirement, he had just finished a shift guarding Mayor Daley's home when he was shot.
The FBI is assisting in the investigation and has offered a $20,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the killer or killers. The Fraternal Order of Police has offered a $25,000 reward. The Chicago Police Memorial Foundation offers a $10,000 cash reward for information leading to the arrest of anyone who kills or shoots a police officer.
Chicago Tribune [Published: 07-21-2010]
Slain cop's brother: 'To serve and protect is what he did'
Although Chicago Police Officer Michael Bailey was off-duty when he was shot and killed in front of his South Side home Sunday morning, his younger brother today described the 20-year-old veteran as one whose mission with or without the uniform was to "serve and protect."
"Being an off-duty police officer was not part of Michael's character. Michael was never off-duty," his brother Solomon Bailey, 60, said at a news conference today at Chicago police headquarters, surrounded by other relatives.
As Bailey spoke, his brother's widow, Pamela, sobbed and held hands with her daughter, Jada.
"To serve and protect is what he did with his family and his community," Solomon Bailey said of a brother who was vice president of his block club, and was helping plan a block party for senior citizens. "To me, he was always my big brother. That was something he would never let me forget."
The family, which did not take any questions from reporters, asked for more privacy and more time to grieve.
Meanwhile, Chicago police Supt. Jody Weis apologized to Bailey's family because he was out of town Sunday to attend his father-in-law's funeral. Weis also pleaded for the community to come forward with any information about the slaying.
The Chicago Police Memorial Foundation, the Fraternal Order of Police - Chicago Lodge 7 and the FBI have offered a combined reward of $55,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of Bailey's killer or killers.
"It could be the piece of evidence that brings this case to fruition and we don't care if the motivation is reward money, good citizenship or whatever," Weis said. "Please let us get these criminals off the street. If they'll kill a police officer, the question comes up, 'Who's next?'"
Weis said the detectives, and narcotics and gang officers were working tirelessly on the case.
"The criminals who are responsible for this have to be identified and they have to be taken off the streets," he said. "Justice must be served."
Funeral of slain Chicago cop: 'A jewel of a human being'
July 23, 2010 | UPDATED STORY - Chicago Tribune
Central District officers salute the coffin carrying Chicago Police Officer Michael Bailey into St. Sabina's Catholic Church this morning..
Mourners packed into St. Sabina church on the South Side this morning for the funeral of Chicago Police Officer Michael Bailey, gunned down as he returned home after guarding Mayor Richard Daley's home last weekend.
Bailey's flag-draped coffin was placed in front of the altar, which was covered by a gold cloth. To the left was a large portrait of Bailey next to a stand of flowers.
Bailey's brother Solomon rose and spoke how he and Michael had planned a road trip after the officer retired in a few weeks -- in the new car he had bought to celebrate his retirement.
"We left it like that," he said. "I never imagined today."
Solomon Bailey then sang a song his brother requested: "Song of My Father" by Horace Silver. Despite the title, Bailey said his brother insisted on it.
"If there was ever a man who was generous, gracious and good, that was my dad," Bailey sang, without accompaniment, in the standing-room-only church. "The man a human being so true he could live like a king 'cause he knew the real pleasure in life."
Next to speak was Bailey's sister, Valerie, who spoke of her brother's dedication to his family and his community.
"If the community had an issue, he had an issue," she said. "He was a jewel of a human being. . .I'm finding it hard to let go."
Supt. Jody Weis drew applause when he vowed justice would be done.
"Our anger has turned to resolution. . .that will not wane until justice is done," he said. "We are coming for you. And we will bring you to justice."
Mayor Richard Daley forcefully called on anyone with information about the shooting to come forward and help police track down the killers, who remain at-large.
"Be not afraid," Daley repeatedly shouted. "Be not afraid to give one bit of information about the incident. A nickname. A location.
"I ask the community, you serve and protect your family. . .This is not the end of his (Bailey's watch). He's looking down for someone to come forward."
The pastor of St. Sabina, the Rev. Michael Pfleger, pounded away at the same theme.
"What has happened to us, America?" he asked.
"We are not going to let yellow police tape and balloons and teddy bears become the new landmarks of our neighborhoods," Pfleger said.
"If we really honor Officer Bailey and all the other officers who have lost their lives and all the children who have lost their lives. . .parents, be parents," he urged. "Neighbors, it's time to be neighbors again."
On Thursday, mourners lined most of the block outside a South Side funeral home as they waited to pay their last respects. Among them was Police Supt. Jody Weis.
In the funeral chapel, an honor guard stood at each end of Bailey's open casket, where he lay in his dress uniform. An inscription inside Bailey's coffin read, "Let the work that I've done speak for me."
On top of Bailey's casket lay his police hat, a wooden baton and white gloves -- part of an officer's formal uniform.
Just weeks from retirement after a 20-year career, Bailey was confronted by armed robbers near his home in the 7400 block of South Evans Avenue, police said, as he washed his new Buick sedan -- a retirement gift to himself.
Still in uniform after working an overnight shift guarding Mayor Richard Daley's South Loop home, Bailey was wounded in a shootout with at least one of his attackers, police said.
The reward for information leading to Bailey's killers rose to $70,000 on Thursday, after an organization that serves disabled police officers donated $5,000 to the reward money. It had risen to $65,000 on Wednesday after officials from the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives' local chapter added $10,000 to the amount offered by the Chicago Police Memorial Foundation, the Fraternal Order of Police and the FBI.
Chicago Sun-Times [07-24-2010]
3 TEENS ARRESTED IN POLICE OFFICER'S SHOOTING DEATH
Just hours after the funeral for slain off-duty Chicago Police Officer Michael R. Bailey, three South Side teenagers were arrested on suspicion they were involved in his murder Sunday outside the officer's Park Manor home on the South Side.
Bailey, 62, who faced mandatory retirement next month, was shot in an apparent robbery attempt about 6:30 a.m. July 18 outside his home in the 7400 block of South Evans while he was polishing his new Buick Regal, which he had bought himself as a retirement gift. The 20-year veteran officer was assigned to the Central District, which encompasses the Loop and he had just finished an overnight shift guarding the mayor's home, officials said.
The three males, 16, 17 and 18, were all placed in custody at Calumet Area headquarters, 727 E. 111th St., late Friday afternoon on the suspicion they had an involvement in the officer's death, according to police.
As of 4 a.m. Saturday no charges have been filed for any of the three South Side teens.
*********************************
July 28, 2011
Bail denied in cop slaying
Man held in 2010 death of off-duty officer assigned to guard Daley
Chicago police Superintendent Garry McCarthy embraces Pamela Bailey, the widow of Chicago Police Officer Michael Bailey, after a news conference Wednesday at the Cook County Criminal Courts Building.
As Michael Bailey lay dying by his shiny new car in front of his South Side home, a witness saw a gunman running from the scene while still pointing a weapon at the fallen Chicago police officer, prosecutors said Wednesday.
The witness identified the shooter, then a 24-year-old parolee, in a police lineup as the man he saw fleeing that Sunday morning in July 2010, prosecutors said.
Michael Bailey was 62-years-old, a 20-year veteran due to retire in weeks. He was shot at about 6:20 a.m. in the 7400 block of South Evans Avenue and pronounced dead at 6:41 a.m. at Northwestern Memorial Hospital.
Officer Bailey was a married father of a son and two daughters. He was an officer in the Central District.
Chicago Sun Times [Published 07-21-2010]
Funeral services and visitation for slain Chicago Police Officer Michael Bailey will be held at the end of the week.
Officer Bailey's wake is scheduled for 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday at A.R. Leak and Sons Funeral Home, 7838 S. Cottage Grove.
The funeral will be at 10 a.m. Friday at St. Sabina Church, 1210 W. 78th Pl.
Flags at all state offices will be flown at half-staff from sunrise Wednesday to sunset Friday in memory of Officer Bailey.
Officer Bailey, 62, was shot and killed about 6 a.m. Sunday, while he was cleaning his car outside his home in the 7400 block of South Evans.
Just a month shy of retirement, he had just finished a shift guarding Mayor Daley's home when he was shot.
The FBI is assisting in the investigation and has offered a $20,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the killer or killers. The Fraternal Order of Police has offered a $25,000 reward. The Chicago Police Memorial Foundation offers a $10,000 cash reward for information leading to the arrest of anyone who kills or shoots a police officer.
Chicago Tribune [Published: 07-21-2010]
Slain cop's brother: 'To serve and protect is what he did'
Although Chicago Police Officer Michael Bailey was off-duty when he was shot and killed in front of his South Side home Sunday morning, his younger brother today described the 20-year-old veteran as one whose mission with or without the uniform was to "serve and protect."
"Being an off-duty police officer was not part of Michael's character. Michael was never off-duty," his brother Solomon Bailey, 60, said at a news conference today at Chicago police headquarters, surrounded by other relatives.
As Bailey spoke, his brother's widow, Pamela, sobbed and held hands with her daughter, Jada.
"To serve and protect is what he did with his family and his community," Solomon Bailey said of a brother who was vice president of his block club, and was helping plan a block party for senior citizens. "To me, he was always my big brother. That was something he would never let me forget."
The family, which did not take any questions from reporters, asked for more privacy and more time to grieve.
Meanwhile, Chicago police Supt. Jody Weis apologized to Bailey's family because he was out of town Sunday to attend his father-in-law's funeral. Weis also pleaded for the community to come forward with any information about the slaying.
The Chicago Police Memorial Foundation, the Fraternal Order of Police - Chicago Lodge 7 and the FBI have offered a combined reward of $55,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of Bailey's killer or killers.
"It could be the piece of evidence that brings this case to fruition and we don't care if the motivation is reward money, good citizenship or whatever," Weis said. "Please let us get these criminals off the street. If they'll kill a police officer, the question comes up, 'Who's next?'"
Weis said the detectives, and narcotics and gang officers were working tirelessly on the case.
"The criminals who are responsible for this have to be identified and they have to be taken off the streets," he said. "Justice must be served."
Funeral of slain Chicago cop: 'A jewel of a human being'
July 23, 2010 | UPDATED STORY - Chicago Tribune
Central District officers salute the coffin carrying Chicago Police Officer Michael Bailey into St. Sabina's Catholic Church this morning..
Mourners packed into St. Sabina church on the South Side this morning for the funeral of Chicago Police Officer Michael Bailey, gunned down as he returned home after guarding Mayor Richard Daley's home last weekend.
Bailey's flag-draped coffin was placed in front of the altar, which was covered by a gold cloth. To the left was a large portrait of Bailey next to a stand of flowers.
Bailey's brother Solomon rose and spoke how he and Michael had planned a road trip after the officer retired in a few weeks -- in the new car he had bought to celebrate his retirement.
"We left it like that," he said. "I never imagined today."
Solomon Bailey then sang a song his brother requested: "Song of My Father" by Horace Silver. Despite the title, Bailey said his brother insisted on it.
"If there was ever a man who was generous, gracious and good, that was my dad," Bailey sang, without accompaniment, in the standing-room-only church. "The man a human being so true he could live like a king 'cause he knew the real pleasure in life."
Next to speak was Bailey's sister, Valerie, who spoke of her brother's dedication to his family and his community.
"If the community had an issue, he had an issue," she said. "He was a jewel of a human being. . .I'm finding it hard to let go."
Supt. Jody Weis drew applause when he vowed justice would be done.
"Our anger has turned to resolution. . .that will not wane until justice is done," he said. "We are coming for you. And we will bring you to justice."
Mayor Richard Daley forcefully called on anyone with information about the shooting to come forward and help police track down the killers, who remain at-large.
"Be not afraid," Daley repeatedly shouted. "Be not afraid to give one bit of information about the incident. A nickname. A location.
"I ask the community, you serve and protect your family. . .This is not the end of his (Bailey's watch). He's looking down for someone to come forward."
The pastor of St. Sabina, the Rev. Michael Pfleger, pounded away at the same theme.
"What has happened to us, America?" he asked.
"We are not going to let yellow police tape and balloons and teddy bears become the new landmarks of our neighborhoods," Pfleger said.
"If we really honor Officer Bailey and all the other officers who have lost their lives and all the children who have lost their lives. . .parents, be parents," he urged. "Neighbors, it's time to be neighbors again."
On Thursday, mourners lined most of the block outside a South Side funeral home as they waited to pay their last respects. Among them was Police Supt. Jody Weis.
In the funeral chapel, an honor guard stood at each end of Bailey's open casket, where he lay in his dress uniform. An inscription inside Bailey's coffin read, "Let the work that I've done speak for me."
On top of Bailey's casket lay his police hat, a wooden baton and white gloves -- part of an officer's formal uniform.
Just weeks from retirement after a 20-year career, Bailey was confronted by armed robbers near his home in the 7400 block of South Evans Avenue, police said, as he washed his new Buick sedan -- a retirement gift to himself.
Still in uniform after working an overnight shift guarding Mayor Richard Daley's South Loop home, Bailey was wounded in a shootout with at least one of his attackers, police said.
The reward for information leading to Bailey's killers rose to $70,000 on Thursday, after an organization that serves disabled police officers donated $5,000 to the reward money. It had risen to $65,000 on Wednesday after officials from the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives' local chapter added $10,000 to the amount offered by the Chicago Police Memorial Foundation, the Fraternal Order of Police and the FBI.
Chicago Sun-Times [07-24-2010]
3 TEENS ARRESTED IN POLICE OFFICER'S SHOOTING DEATH
Just hours after the funeral for slain off-duty Chicago Police Officer Michael R. Bailey, three South Side teenagers were arrested on suspicion they were involved in his murder Sunday outside the officer's Park Manor home on the South Side.
Bailey, 62, who faced mandatory retirement next month, was shot in an apparent robbery attempt about 6:30 a.m. July 18 outside his home in the 7400 block of South Evans while he was polishing his new Buick Regal, which he had bought himself as a retirement gift. The 20-year veteran officer was assigned to the Central District, which encompasses the Loop and he had just finished an overnight shift guarding the mayor's home, officials said.
The three males, 16, 17 and 18, were all placed in custody at Calumet Area headquarters, 727 E. 111th St., late Friday afternoon on the suspicion they had an involvement in the officer's death, according to police.
As of 4 a.m. Saturday no charges have been filed for any of the three South Side teens.
*********************************
July 28, 2011
Bail denied in cop slaying
Man held in 2010 death of off-duty officer assigned to guard Daley
Chicago police Superintendent Garry McCarthy embraces Pamela Bailey, the widow of Chicago Police Officer Michael Bailey, after a news conference Wednesday at the Cook County Criminal Courts Building.
As Michael Bailey lay dying by his shiny new car in front of his South Side home, a witness saw a gunman running from the scene while still pointing a weapon at the fallen Chicago police officer, prosecutors said Wednesday.
The witness identified the shooter, then a 24-year-old parolee, in a police lineup as the man he saw fleeing that Sunday morning in July 2010, prosecutors said.
Michael R. Bailey, a Chicago Police Officer, Star Number 13970, was returning home after an overnight shift guarding Mayor Richard Daley's home when he was shot and killed in the south side's Park Manor neighborhood by men apparently trying to steal his car new.
Michael Bailey was 62-years-old, a 20-year veteran due to retire in weeks. He was shot at about 6:20 a.m. in the 7400 block of South Evans Avenue and pronounced dead at 6:41 a.m. at Northwestern Memorial Hospital.
Officer Bailey was a married father of a son and two daughters. He was an officer in the Central District.
Chicago Sun Times [Published 07-21-2010]
Funeral services and visitation for slain Chicago Police Officer Michael Bailey will be held at the end of the week.
Officer Bailey's wake is scheduled for 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday at A.R. Leak and Sons Funeral Home, 7838 S. Cottage Grove.
The funeral will be at 10 a.m. Friday at St. Sabina Church, 1210 W. 78th Pl.
Flags at all state offices will be flown at half-staff from sunrise Wednesday to sunset Friday in memory of Officer Bailey.
Officer Bailey, 62, was shot and killed about 6 a.m. Sunday, while he was cleaning his car outside his home in the 7400 block of South Evans.
Just a month shy of retirement, he had just finished a shift guarding Mayor Daley's home when he was shot.
The FBI is assisting in the investigation and has offered a $20,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the killer or killers. The Fraternal Order of Police has offered a $25,000 reward. The Chicago Police Memorial Foundation offers a $10,000 cash reward for information leading to the arrest of anyone who kills or shoots a police officer.
Chicago Tribune [Published: 07-21-2010]
Slain cop's brother: 'To serve and protect is what he did'
Although Chicago Police Officer Michael Bailey was off-duty when he was shot and killed in front of his South Side home Sunday morning, his younger brother today described the 20-year-old veteran as one whose mission with or without the uniform was to "serve and protect."
"Being an off-duty police officer was not part of Michael's character. Michael was never off-duty," his brother Solomon Bailey, 60, said at a news conference today at Chicago police headquarters, surrounded by other relatives.
As Bailey spoke, his brother's widow, Pamela, sobbed and held hands with her daughter, Jada.
"To serve and protect is what he did with his family and his community," Solomon Bailey said of a brother who was vice president of his block club, and was helping plan a block party for senior citizens. "To me, he was always my big brother. That was something he would never let me forget."
The family, which did not take any questions from reporters, asked for more privacy and more time to grieve.
Meanwhile, Chicago police Supt. Jody Weis apologized to Bailey's family because he was out of town Sunday to attend his father-in-law's funeral. Weis also pleaded for the community to come forward with any information about the slaying.
The Chicago Police Memorial Foundation, the Fraternal Order of Police - Chicago Lodge 7 and the FBI have offered a combined reward of $55,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of Bailey's killer or killers.
"It could be the piece of evidence that brings this case to fruition and we don't care if the motivation is reward money, good citizenship or whatever," Weis said. "Please let us get these criminals off the street. If they'll kill a police officer, the question comes up, 'Who's next?'"
Weis said the detectives, and narcotics and gang officers were working tirelessly on the case.
"The criminals who are responsible for this have to be identified and they have to be taken off the streets," he said. "Justice must be served."
Funeral of slain Chicago cop: 'A jewel of a human being'
July 23, 2010 | UPDATED STORY - Chicago Tribune
Central District officers salute the coffin carrying Chicago Police Officer Michael Bailey into St. Sabina's Catholic Church this morning..
Mourners packed into St. Sabina church on the South Side this morning for the funeral of Chicago Police Officer Michael Bailey, gunned down as he returned home after guarding Mayor Richard Daley's home last weekend.
Bailey's flag-draped coffin was placed in front of the altar, which was covered by a gold cloth. To the left was a large portrait of Bailey next to a stand of flowers.
Bailey's brother Solomon rose and spoke how he and Michael had planned a road trip after the officer retired in a few weeks -- in the new car he had bought to celebrate his retirement.
"We left it like that," he said. "I never imagined today."
Solomon Bailey then sang a song his brother requested: "Song of My Father" by Horace Silver. Despite the title, Bailey said his brother insisted on it.
"If there was ever a man who was generous, gracious and good, that was my dad," Bailey sang, without accompaniment, in the standing-room-only church. "The man a human being so true he could live like a king 'cause he knew the real pleasure in life."
Next to speak was Bailey's sister, Valerie, who spoke of her brother's dedication to his family and his community.
"If the community had an issue, he had an issue," she said. "He was a jewel of a human being. . .I'm finding it hard to let go."
Supt. Jody Weis drew applause when he vowed justice would be done.
"Our anger has turned to resolution. . .that will not wane until justice is done," he said. "We are coming for you. And we will bring you to justice."
Mayor Richard Daley forcefully called on anyone with information about the shooting to come forward and help police track down the killers, who remain at-large.
"Be not afraid," Daley repeatedly shouted. "Be not afraid to give one bit of information about the incident. A nickname. A location.
"I ask the community, you serve and protect your family. . .This is not the end of his (Bailey's watch). He's looking down for someone to come forward."
The pastor of St. Sabina, the Rev. Michael Pfleger, pounded away at the same theme.
"What has happened to us, America?" he asked.
"We are not going to let yellow police tape and balloons and teddy bears become the new landmarks of our neighborhoods," Pfleger said.
"If we really honor Officer Bailey and all the other officers who have lost their lives and all the children who have lost their lives. . .parents, be parents," he urged. "Neighbors, it's time to be neighbors again."
On Thursday, mourners lined most of the block outside a South Side funeral home as they waited to pay their last respects. Among them was Police Supt. Jody Weis.
In the funeral chapel, an honor guard stood at each end of Bailey's open casket, where he lay in his dress uniform. An inscription inside Bailey's coffin read, "Let the work that I've done speak for me."
On top of Bailey's casket lay his police hat, a wooden baton and white gloves -- part of an officer's formal uniform.
Just weeks from retirement after a 20-year career, Bailey was confronted by armed robbers near his home in the 7400 block of South Evans Avenue, police said, as he washed his new Buick sedan -- a retirement gift to himself.
Still in uniform after working an overnight shift guarding Mayor Richard Daley's South Loop home, Bailey was wounded in a shootout with at least one of his attackers, police said.
The reward for information leading to Bailey's killers rose to $70,000 on Thursday, after an organization that serves disabled police officers donated $5,000 to the reward money. It had risen to $65,000 on Wednesday after officials from the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives' local chapter added $10,000 to the amount offered by the Chicago Police Memorial Foundation, the Fraternal Order of Police and the FBI.
Chicago Sun-Times [07-24-2010]
3 TEENS ARRESTED IN POLICE OFFICER'S SHOOTING DEATH
Just hours after the funeral for slain off-duty Chicago Police Officer Michael R. Bailey, three South Side teenagers were arrested on suspicion they were involved in his murder Sunday outside the officer's Park Manor home on the South Side.
Bailey, 62, who faced mandatory retirement next month, was shot in an apparent robbery attempt about 6:30 a.m. July 18 outside his home in the 7400 block of South Evans while he was polishing his new Buick Regal, which he had bought himself as a retirement gift. The 20-year veteran officer was assigned to the Central District, which encompasses the Loop and he had just finished an overnight shift guarding the mayor's home, officials said.
The three males, 16, 17 and 18, were all placed in custody at Calumet Area headquarters, 727 E. 111th St., late Friday afternoon on the suspicion they had an involvement in the officer's death, according to police.
As of 4 a.m. Saturday no charges have been filed for any of the three South Side teens.
*********************************
July 28, 2011
Bail denied in cop slaying
Man held in 2010 death of off-duty officer assigned to guard Daley
Chicago police Superintendent Garry McCarthy embraces Pamela Bailey, the widow of Chicago Police Officer Michael Bailey, after a news conference Wednesday at the Cook County Criminal Courts Building.
As Michael Bailey lay dying by his shiny new car in front of his South Side home, a witness saw a gunman running from the scene while still pointing a weapon at the fallen Chicago police officer, prosecutors said Wednesday.
The witness identified the shooter, then a 24-year-old parolee, in a police lineup as the man he saw fleeing that Sunday morning in July 2010, prosecutors said.
Michael Bailey was 62-years-old, a 20-year veteran due to retire in weeks. He was shot at about 6:20 a.m. in the 7400 block of South Evans Avenue and pronounced dead at 6:41 a.m. at Northwestern Memorial Hospital.
Officer Bailey was a married father of a son and two daughters. He was an officer in the Central District.
Chicago Sun Times [Published 07-21-2010]
Funeral services and visitation for slain Chicago Police Officer Michael Bailey will be held at the end of the week.
Officer Bailey's wake is scheduled for 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday at A.R. Leak and Sons Funeral Home, 7838 S. Cottage Grove.
The funeral will be at 10 a.m. Friday at St. Sabina Church, 1210 W. 78th Pl.
Flags at all state offices will be flown at half-staff from sunrise Wednesday to sunset Friday in memory of Officer Bailey.
Officer Bailey, 62, was shot and killed about 6 a.m. Sunday, while he was cleaning his car outside his home in the 7400 block of South Evans.
Just a month shy of retirement, he had just finished a shift guarding Mayor Daley's home when he was shot.
The FBI is assisting in the investigation and has offered a $20,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the killer or killers. The Fraternal Order of Police has offered a $25,000 reward. The Chicago Police Memorial Foundation offers a $10,000 cash reward for information leading to the arrest of anyone who kills or shoots a police officer.
Chicago Tribune [Published: 07-21-2010]
Slain cop's brother: 'To serve and protect is what he did'
Although Chicago Police Officer Michael Bailey was off-duty when he was shot and killed in front of his South Side home Sunday morning, his younger brother today described the 20-year-old veteran as one whose mission with or without the uniform was to "serve and protect."
"Being an off-duty police officer was not part of Michael's character. Michael was never off-duty," his brother Solomon Bailey, 60, said at a news conference today at Chicago police headquarters, surrounded by other relatives.
As Bailey spoke, his brother's widow, Pamela, sobbed and held hands with her daughter, Jada.
"To serve and protect is what he did with his family and his community," Solomon Bailey said of a brother who was vice president of his block club, and was helping plan a block party for senior citizens. "To me, he was always my big brother. That was something he would never let me forget."
The family, which did not take any questions from reporters, asked for more privacy and more time to grieve.
Meanwhile, Chicago police Supt. Jody Weis apologized to Bailey's family because he was out of town Sunday to attend his father-in-law's funeral. Weis also pleaded for the community to come forward with any information about the slaying.
The Chicago Police Memorial Foundation, the Fraternal Order of Police - Chicago Lodge 7 and the FBI have offered a combined reward of $55,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of Bailey's killer or killers.
"It could be the piece of evidence that brings this case to fruition and we don't care if the motivation is reward money, good citizenship or whatever," Weis said. "Please let us get these criminals off the street. If they'll kill a police officer, the question comes up, 'Who's next?'"
Weis said the detectives, and narcotics and gang officers were working tirelessly on the case.
"The criminals who are responsible for this have to be identified and they have to be taken off the streets," he said. "Justice must be served."
Funeral of slain Chicago cop: 'A jewel of a human being'
July 23, 2010 | UPDATED STORY - Chicago Tribune
Central District officers salute the coffin carrying Chicago Police Officer Michael Bailey into St. Sabina's Catholic Church this morning..
Mourners packed into St. Sabina church on the South Side this morning for the funeral of Chicago Police Officer Michael Bailey, gunned down as he returned home after guarding Mayor Richard Daley's home last weekend.
Bailey's flag-draped coffin was placed in front of the altar, which was covered by a gold cloth. To the left was a large portrait of Bailey next to a stand of flowers.
Bailey's brother Solomon rose and spoke how he and Michael had planned a road trip after the officer retired in a few weeks -- in the new car he had bought to celebrate his retirement.
"We left it like that," he said. "I never imagined today."
Solomon Bailey then sang a song his brother requested: "Song of My Father" by Horace Silver. Despite the title, Bailey said his brother insisted on it.
"If there was ever a man who was generous, gracious and good, that was my dad," Bailey sang, without accompaniment, in the standing-room-only church. "The man a human being so true he could live like a king 'cause he knew the real pleasure in life."
Next to speak was Bailey's sister, Valerie, who spoke of her brother's dedication to his family and his community.
"If the community had an issue, he had an issue," she said. "He was a jewel of a human being. . .I'm finding it hard to let go."
Supt. Jody Weis drew applause when he vowed justice would be done.
"Our anger has turned to resolution. . .that will not wane until justice is done," he said. "We are coming for you. And we will bring you to justice."
Mayor Richard Daley forcefully called on anyone with information about the shooting to come forward and help police track down the killers, who remain at-large.
"Be not afraid," Daley repeatedly shouted. "Be not afraid to give one bit of information about the incident. A nickname. A location.
"I ask the community, you serve and protect your family. . .This is not the end of his (Bailey's watch). He's looking down for someone to come forward."
The pastor of St. Sabina, the Rev. Michael Pfleger, pounded away at the same theme.
"What has happened to us, America?" he asked.
"We are not going to let yellow police tape and balloons and teddy bears become the new landmarks of our neighborhoods," Pfleger said.
"If we really honor Officer Bailey and all the other officers who have lost their lives and all the children who have lost their lives. . .parents, be parents," he urged. "Neighbors, it's time to be neighbors again."
On Thursday, mourners lined most of the block outside a South Side funeral home as they waited to pay their last respects. Among them was Police Supt. Jody Weis.
In the funeral chapel, an honor guard stood at each end of Bailey's open casket, where he lay in his dress uniform. An inscription inside Bailey's coffin read, "Let the work that I've done speak for me."
On top of Bailey's casket lay his police hat, a wooden baton and white gloves -- part of an officer's formal uniform.
Just weeks from retirement after a 20-year career, Bailey was confronted by armed robbers near his home in the 7400 block of South Evans Avenue, police said, as he washed his new Buick sedan -- a retirement gift to himself.
Still in uniform after working an overnight shift guarding Mayor Richard Daley's South Loop home, Bailey was wounded in a shootout with at least one of his attackers, police said.
The reward for information leading to Bailey's killers rose to $70,000 on Thursday, after an organization that serves disabled police officers donated $5,000 to the reward money. It had risen to $65,000 on Wednesday after officials from the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives' local chapter added $10,000 to the amount offered by the Chicago Police Memorial Foundation, the Fraternal Order of Police and the FBI.
Chicago Sun-Times [07-24-2010]
3 TEENS ARRESTED IN POLICE OFFICER'S SHOOTING DEATH
Just hours after the funeral for slain off-duty Chicago Police Officer Michael R. Bailey, three South Side teenagers were arrested on suspicion they were involved in his murder Sunday outside the officer's Park Manor home on the South Side.
Bailey, 62, who faced mandatory retirement next month, was shot in an apparent robbery attempt about 6:30 a.m. July 18 outside his home in the 7400 block of South Evans while he was polishing his new Buick Regal, which he had bought himself as a retirement gift. The 20-year veteran officer was assigned to the Central District, which encompasses the Loop and he had just finished an overnight shift guarding the mayor's home, officials said.
The three males, 16, 17 and 18, were all placed in custody at Calumet Area headquarters, 727 E. 111th St., late Friday afternoon on the suspicion they had an involvement in the officer's death, according to police.
As of 4 a.m. Saturday no charges have been filed for any of the three South Side teens.
*********************************
July 28, 2011
Bail denied in cop slaying
Man held in 2010 death of off-duty officer assigned to guard Daley
Chicago police Superintendent Garry McCarthy embraces Pamela Bailey, the widow of Chicago Police Officer Michael Bailey, after a news conference Wednesday at the Cook County Criminal Courts Building.
As Michael Bailey lay dying by his shiny new car in front of his South Side home, a witness saw a gunman running from the scene while still pointing a weapon at the fallen Chicago police officer, prosecutors said Wednesday.
The witness identified the shooter, then a 24-year-old parolee, in a police lineup as the man he saw fleeing that Sunday morning in July 2010, prosecutors said.
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