Governor Pritzker Orders Flags to Half-Staff Across Illinois

The Illinois Flag Display Act has been enacted by Governor J.B. Pritzker, beginning next week, ordering all U.S. and state flags to be lowered.

Illinois Honors Fallen Officers

According to the Illinois Department of Central Management Services, all persons and entities covered under the Flag Display Act should lower U.S. and Illinois state flags to half-staff on Friday, May 15, 2026, in observance of Peace Officers Memorial Day.

Flags are to remain at half-staff from sunrise to sunset at all buildings occupied by state agency personnel. The observance recognizes law enforcement officers who lost their lives in the line of duty while serving communities across Illinois and the nation.

Illinois Flag Display Act Expands Beyond Memorial Observances

Under the Illinois Flag Display Act, flags are also ordered to be lowered to half-staff following the line-of-duty deaths of Illinois police officers, firefighters, military personnel, and other public servants covered by the law.

In those instances, flags are lowered from sunrise to sunset on the day of the funeral and the two days preceding it.

The practice serves as a highly visible symbol of mourning and statewide respect for public servants who died while protecting residents.

Other Reasons Flags Fly at Half-Staff Across the United States

Across the United States, presidents and governors regularly order flags to half-staff following national tragedies, mass shootings, natural disasters, or the deaths of prominent public officials, military leaders, and first responders.

Flags are also lowered on nationally recognized observances, including Memorial Day, Patriot Day, Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day, and Peace Officers Memorial Day.

The symbolic gesture dates back centuries and remains one of the nation's most recognized public displays of mourning and remembrance.