Post by WaTcHeR on Jan 18, 2007 13:10:12 GMT -5
01.18.2007 - A state correctional officer and part-time Harvey police deputy marshal was fired Wednesday after he was arrested for illegally carrying a handgun.
Illinois State Police stopped Officer Marcus Holton for suspicion of drunken driving on southbound Interstate 57 near 115th Street about 2 a.m., Master Sgt. Luis Gutierrez said.
Troopers found a handgun on Holton and took him to the Oak Forest police station, where he was charged with misdemeanor unlawful use of a weapon, Gutierrez said.
Holton, 38, who was assigned to Harvey police's special-operations unit, was stripped of his credentials and terminated, police said. Harvey deputy marshals are permitted to carry handguns but only while on duty and only to and from work, police spokeswoman Sandra Alvarado said.
"It is essential that deputy marshals follow the rules and regulations regarding the use and/or carrying of their weapons," Police Chief Andrew Joshua said in a statement.
Illinois Department of Corrections spokesman Derek Schnapp was unsure whether Holton was cleared to carry a weapon as a correctional officer and whether he would be disciplined. Corrections officers accused of crimes are either placed on leave or suspended, pending the outcome of the case, Schnapp said.
Harvey police are phasing out their controversial deputy marshal program, according to police sources. Recent changes to state law require increased training for such auxiliary officers, including completion of a 400-hour basic police training course.
Critics have complained that the city's deputy marshals lack the necessary training to effectively patrol the streets.
In recent years, a deputy marshal was arrested for allegedly shaking down Chicago drug dealers, while another was arrested for leading Posen police on a high-speed chase.
www.dailysouthtown.com/news/215426,181NWS6.article
Illinois State Police stopped Officer Marcus Holton for suspicion of drunken driving on southbound Interstate 57 near 115th Street about 2 a.m., Master Sgt. Luis Gutierrez said.
Troopers found a handgun on Holton and took him to the Oak Forest police station, where he was charged with misdemeanor unlawful use of a weapon, Gutierrez said.
Holton, 38, who was assigned to Harvey police's special-operations unit, was stripped of his credentials and terminated, police said. Harvey deputy marshals are permitted to carry handguns but only while on duty and only to and from work, police spokeswoman Sandra Alvarado said.
"It is essential that deputy marshals follow the rules and regulations regarding the use and/or carrying of their weapons," Police Chief Andrew Joshua said in a statement.
Illinois Department of Corrections spokesman Derek Schnapp was unsure whether Holton was cleared to carry a weapon as a correctional officer and whether he would be disciplined. Corrections officers accused of crimes are either placed on leave or suspended, pending the outcome of the case, Schnapp said.
Harvey police are phasing out their controversial deputy marshal program, according to police sources. Recent changes to state law require increased training for such auxiliary officers, including completion of a 400-hour basic police training course.
Critics have complained that the city's deputy marshals lack the necessary training to effectively patrol the streets.
In recent years, a deputy marshal was arrested for allegedly shaking down Chicago drug dealers, while another was arrested for leading Posen police on a high-speed chase.
www.dailysouthtown.com/news/215426,181NWS6.article