CHICAGO—Family, friends, and fellow police officers from across Illinois paid tribute to Chicago police officer Ella French at her funeral in southwest Chicago on Thursday. Thousands of Chicago and suburban police officers stood solemnly on the lawns surrounding St. Rita of Cascia Shrine Chapel. Some officers came from as far as Houston, Texas. Elizabeth French, mother of Ella French, said, with tears in her eyes, at the funeral, “Ella was so proud to be a member of [the law enforcement] family. Every day, you leave home to serve and protect family, friends, and people you will never meet in your communities, towns, and cities. “Ella and I thank you for your service. God bless you all. I close with the words I always told Ella as she headed to work, ‘Be careful and be safe.’” Ella French was fatally shot two weeks ago during a traffic stop in the West …