Picture of Officer Randall Blank

Randall A. Blank Memorial Scholarship

Supporting future police officers.

Winter Scholarship - Closed Closed This scholarship is part of the Winter application cycle. The application is open December 1st to February 1st every year. How to Apply

Eligibility Criteria

Applicants must:

- Be a graduate of or a current senior at a high school in Winnebago County.
- Intend to major in Police Science or a related field.

Specifications

Past recipients may reapply, but no student may receive the scholarship for more than three years. 

Currently-sworn police officers are not eligible to apply.

Written Prompt

Each CFNIL scholarship is created with a specific purpose in mind. As you complete the application, the system automatically matches you with every scholarship for which you are eligible and will present you with a specific written prompt for each. You're encouraged to craft a unique response to each prompt to show the reviewers why you're the best candidate for that scholarship.

Scholarship Background and Intent

Originally written in the Rock River Times

Everyone who knew Randall Blank described him in the same way; happy, caring and completely dedicated to becoming a Rockford police officer.  Randall worked hard to make his dream come true.   He graduated from Jefferson High School and went to Rock Valley College.  Randall passed the test for the police department but since there were no openings at the Rockford Police Department, he applied for the Freeport department instead.  In February of 1980, a position became available, and Randall was finally hired as a Rockford Police officer. Patrol Officer Randall A. Blank was killed in the line of duty on December 31, 1980.

Randall’s funeral was held at St. Rita’s Church.  Over 425 people, including 300 police officers from Rockford and surrounding areas, attended the services.  Another 600 people were in the St. Rita’s gym, where they watched the services on closed-circuit television.  Fellow officers were pallbearers, and over 100 squad cars followed the hearse to the cemetery.

Randall wanted to be a Rockford Police Officer from the time he was a boy.  When people would ask him why he was so determined to make this his career, Randall always answered the same way.  Randall wanted to help people and thought that being a peace officer would be a wonderful way to do that.

Though Randall was only 23 years old when he was killed, his dedication to the people of Rockford has carried his name through the years since his death.