Five years after her daughter’s death, Elizabeth French heals through helping police

By Maureen Callahan

On the night of August 7, 2021, Chicago Police Officer Ella French and two other officers conducted a routine traffic stop while on patrol in Englewood. Officer French and one of her partners that evening, Officer Carlos Yanez Jr., were shot after the situation escalated. Officer Yanez’s injuries later resulted in the loss of his eye. Officer French passed away at the scene.

Ella and Bella, her Bulldog puppy she rescued from a stray she helped on duty.

French was the first female Chicago police officer killed in the line of duty in almost three and a half decades.

“We talked that evening – the night Ella passed away – while she was on her way to work,” Elizabeth French, Ella’s mother and Westmont resident, relayed. “She had just bought a house in the south suburbs about three months earlier and had been working a side job in security to fix it up. She was talking about it. We were also thinking about where to go on vacation.”

Elizabeth adopted Ella at four years old after she had fostered her since she was eight months. “The social workers tell you straight up their main goal is to return the child to their original home. After being with me that long, there was no way she was going anywhere,” said Elizabeth with a smile. “I changed her name to Ella Grace, partly because of Ella Fitzgerald.” Elizabeth had also fostered and adopted a son, Ella’s brother Andrew.

Growing up in Brookfield, Ella first became interested in law enforcement by chatting with police officers around town during her middle school years. “I was working full time when she started high school, and I was worried about the path she was on, so I sent her to military school,” Elizabeth relayed. Ella returned home for her senior year of high school and graduated from Downers Grove North in 2009.

One year at Western Illinois University was enough for her to know the traditional route wasn’t for her. She began her career in the Cook County Sheriff’s Office, where she worked for about a year. “It was good experience, as she learned to see that things aren’t always black and white,” said Elizabeth. “Sometimes there’s gray. Ella never made excuses for those who were there serving time, but I think she learned to see them as people with issues who did bad things. But people, nonetheless.”

“I’ve learned you just don’t get over some things. But maybe you can get through them. She’s with me every day.”

– Elizabeth French

She had looked into a few suburban police departments, but in the end Ella knew she belonged with the Chicago Police Department (CPD). Partly because she loved the vibrancy of the city, but also because she felt CPD was where she could make the most difference. Eventually, she was accepted to the Chicago Police Academy, from which she graduated in 2019.

“She could appear to be tough. But she had a big heart for underdogs. Ella spoke sternly to parents of abused or neglected children whenever she was on a call,” said Elizabeth. “Abandoned animals were always on her radar, too. She ended up adopting a puppy from a stray dog she had helped while she was on duty.”

About three years ago, Elizabeth and Officer Yanez founded a group called Light the Line. Their primary mission is to put police officers first by assisting them in various ways. The group goes to parades, street festivals, or conventions and supplies officers with water, snacks, and other comfort items. They also show up to crime scenes and hospitals to offer moral support.

Recently, Light the Line purchased an ambulance at an auction. “We’re finally raising enough money to start refurbishing it. We’re working on retrofitting the benches inside to be insulated coolers for water and beverages,” said Elizabeth. “We would like to install a bathroom so officers don’t have to try to find one when they work at all-day events.”

“Light the Line is a sort of ‘thanks for all you do/we’re here if you need us’ group,” Elizabeth explained.

Light the Line’s mobile support unit provides comfort and resources to law enforcement officers at events and critical incidents.

The Chicago Police Foundation established the Ella French Scholarship to assist high school students of active, retired, or fallen Chicago police officers to offset any high school expenses. A statue of Ella and her Pit Bull mix, Bella, was dedicated in Wentworth Park in Garfield Ridge on what would have been Ella’s 34th birthday in August of last year. The street outside the Leighton Criminal Court building (26th Street at California Drive) is now designated The Honorary Ella French Way. “It was where she started her career, so it seemed fitting,” said Elizabeth.

For her part, Elizabeth goes to every dedication for her daughter. “I was in Washington, D.C., for Police Week in May,” said Elizabeth. “People always want me to speak, but that’s out of my comfort zone. I do some speaking now, but it’s not my favorite thing.”

The mother of the fallen officer was overwhelmed by the outpouring of love and support, both from CPD and total strangers. “I have met so many wonderful people through this tragedy. So many notes and letters – blankets, teddy bears, and other things. Some are from foreign countries,” said Elizabeth.

“I’ve learned you just don’t get over some things. But maybe you can get through them. She’s with me every day,” said Elizabeth. “I’m hoping she’s pleased with what I’m doing.”

For more information on Light the Line, or to donate, please visit lighttheline.org.