By Brian Stanley
For the Bugle
A Plainfield Community Service Officer died July 13 in an off-duty motorcycle crash.
Tyler M. Dufour, 22, had worked with the Plainfield Police Department for two years and was planning a career in law enforcement. The crash happened in the early morning hours in Minooka where Dufour resided.
“He was just a great kid, a good, hard worker, he was hoping to become a police officer, going to school for criminal justice classes and testing with local departments,” Plainfield Chief John Konopek said. Community Service Officers assist police with school crossing, traffic and crowd control and other tasks so sworn officers are free to respond to more serious matters.
“Tyler brought a great work ethic, high levels of energy, and a smile into all his duties and responsibilities. He will be greatly missed by all his co-workers and by everyone he encountered on a daily basis,” the department wrote in a Facebook post announcing his death.
Dufour graduated from Minooka High School in 2015 and earned an Associate’s Degree from Joliet Junior College.
A funeral home obituary said Dufour enjoyed his grandmother’s cooking and cars — forming many close friends with his car group.
“This is a terrible loss of such a young man in an awful accident and (the community) is very saddened,” Plainfield Trustee Margie Bonuchi said.
Konopek said counseling was available for Dufour’s colleagues and the department’s priority was to assist his family however they could.