Family, friends and fellow officers packed into a Fraternal Order of Police lodge Monday night to honor the life of a 14-year veteran and raise cash for his daughters.
Officer Chuck Barango was 49 when he was fatally struck by a driver in suburban Forest View while off duty on his motorcycle last September. His daughters were surrounded by members of the Chicago Police Department who came together to help a family in need.
“He was our mentor, we looked up to him, he really did lead the way for us,” Amanda Barango said of her father.
Walt Smith, a friend and coworker, said it wasn’t just his daughters Barango left an impression on.
Barango, a SWAT officer, was also an advisor on “Chicago PD” where he taught actors to handle firearms and clear buildings with police tactics, and was known to friends as having lived a full life.
“He survived a brain tumor, he survived two shootouts on the department, and he also survived a horrific accident on July 1,” Sgt. Dawn Love recalled.
Barango’s daughter, Amanda, remembers a time when she graduated college and her father helped her pick out an outfit to wear.
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“Anybody can have children, but it really takes a lot to be a father,” she said. “As a woman of faith, I'm thankful that the good lord provided my sister and I a man worthy of the title.”
