04/24/2026
Remembering Officer Chris Kilcullen : Husband. Father. Hero.
Yesterday, April 22, 2026, marks the 15th anniversary of Eugene Police Officer Chris Kilcullen’s line of duty death. In honor to never forget the sacrifice Officer Kilcullen and his family made, Working Dogs Oregon has named a puppy in his honor. Cullen is a 12 week old Chocalate Labrador Retriever training to become a law enforcement comfort dog. To comfort officers and staff after events as impactful as the incident that took the life of his namesake, to comfort victims and wittnesses of horrific crime and to be steadfast in connecting community members with the officers who serve them. Officer Kilcullen is remembered by so many for the way he treated people with respect, dignity, and compassion, it only seems right we honor his dedication to the citizens he protected with a resource that embodies exactly what Chris is remembered for.
While getting permission from Chris' father John to use his son's name, we learned that prior to becoming a police officer Chris was a radio DJ on the Eugene-Springfield airwaves and went under the on-air name of "Cullen", so the amended version fit perfectly.
~ The incident ~
Officer Chris Kilcullen, 43, was shot and killed during a traffic stop on I-105 and 52nd Street in Springfield, Oregon on Friday, April 22, 2011. Officer Kilcullen had initiated a traffic stop of a reckless driver, who ran a red light. The driver, age 56, fled and Officer Kilcullen pursued her into Springfield on Highway 126. The vehicle swerved around several cars that were waiting at a red light at 52nd Street. The suspect’s vehicle was stopped and as Officer Kilcullen approached the vehicle, he was hit when the suspect suddenly fired a handgun, fatally wounding him. The suspect continued to flee and was pursued by numerous local officers for 35 miles to a forest road near Westfir, where she finally stopped. She remained in her car for several hours during a standoff until finally being taken into custody.
Officer Kilcullen, a 12-year veteran, had a remarkable career with 85 commendations, even from drivers he stopped. He won employee of the month awards in May 2004 and June 2008 after conducting the most investigations, arrests, traffic citations and field interviews among Eugene police officers. He moved to the traffic unit in 2005 and was a longtime member of the department's crisis negotiation team, saving many lives. Officer Kilcullen left behind a wife, two children, a cousin who was like a sister, sister Colby, brother Cory, his father, John Kilcullen, and step mother Sherrie, many friends and coworkers, and a community that loved him.
OR Highway126, from the intersection at 6th and 7th Streets in Eugene to the intersection at East Main Street in Springfield, has been officially named in honor of Officer Kilcullen. Senate Bill 987, approved in May 2011 by the Oregon Legislature, directed the placement of markers along the highway with the memorial designation. A total of four signs are now located at each end of the highway, and where I-5 joins the highway in each direction.
Raising Heroes Comfort Program Puppy Cullen has 9 to 12 more months of training before he will report for duty at an Oregon Law Enforcement agency. Until then he has a team of dedicated volunteer puppy raisers guiding him in his journey.
Cullen joins three other puppies in this puppy class and they are already thriving in this journey. As always Working Dogs Oregon never charges for our serves and we donate the fully trained comfort dogs to the agencies who receive them.
If you would like to assist in our efforts to raise Cullen and his classmates, we have an active GoFundMe where we would greatly aporeciate your kind support!
https://gofund.me/b30c124d5
