Officer’s stolen car had gun, ammo

Jail worker’s vehicle recovered, but 100 live rounds are still missing

A recent theft of a correctional officer’s vehicle has raised questions about storage of weapons and ammunition, as a box of 9mm ammunition with 100 live rounds was missing when the car was recovered.

Dolton police Chief Robert Collins, a firearm safety instructor, said he’s heard of instances where an officer takes off his or her gun belt to use the restroom, leaves it on a counter, forgets about it and the gun is ultimately stolen.

“That’s a very dangerous situation,” Collins said. “They should be stored and locked in a way that others, especially children, can’t reach them.”

Oak Forest police said a jail employee left his gun and ammunition in a vehicle that was stolen from Midlothian in October. The car was recovered Oct. 30, when Oak Forest police located the suspicious car about 2 a.m. parked at James Jesk Park in the 15500 block of Ridgeland Avenue.

As police ran the license plate, all four doors opened and four males got out of the car and ran southeast through a field, police said. The car’s owner was contacted and he told police the car was stolen from the driveway in the 14900 block of Kildare Avenue the day before.

The car owner told police he works for the jail system and that a box of 9mm ammunition with 100 live rounds was missing from the car’s back seat. His gun was still in the car, police said. Oak Forest police Chief Jason Reid said he didn’t know which jail system employed the car owner.

Sheriff ’s offices in both Cook and Will counties require officers to secure their weapons, usually in designated storage facilities.

The Illinois Department of Corrections weapons authorization policy states weapons should be kept in a vault in the trunk of their state vehicle or safely unloaded and locked away in the officer’s home.

Officers at the Cook County Jail must keep all firearms and ammunition “locked and secured while in their homes, vehicles or any other area under their control,” according to the county. Guns cannot be brought into a jail facility or during any part of securing or processing an arrestee, the policy states.

The Cook County policy also requires employees report lost

and stolen guns and ammunition to their local police within 24 hours.

Then the employee should notify the sheriff ’s office and fill out an incident report, according to the policy.

“Sworn members should be aware that negligent storage of a firearm could result in civil and criminal liability,” according to the Cook County Department of Corrections policy.

The Will County sheriff ’s office and jail policy states when an officer isn’t carrying his or her weapon, it should be in a cable locking device or lock box to prevent others from gaining access or negligently discharging the weapon.

If a deputy or correctional officer violates the policy, an internal investigation takes place and then a recommendation is made to the sheriff and command staff for potential disciplinary actions, said

Will County sheriff ’s office public information officer Kathy Hoffmeyer.

The Oak Forest Police Department has its own policy for storing handguns, Reid said.

Department-issued guns must be secured in designated storage facilities at the police station or in a lock box or rack within a police vehicle, according to the weapons policy, he said.

In Dolton, Collins said the department has a policy stating guns and ammunition should be stored “in a manner that is secured” whether at home, in a vehicle or at work.

Most police officers carry their guns with them on and off duty, Collins said, and in rare occasions would they store their gun in a vehicle. But if they have to leave their gun in a vehicle, it should be kept in a secure safe attached to the car, he said.

“If you’re going to be a gun owner, be a responsible gun owner and know how to use and store your gun,” Collins said.