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Rockford IL April 7 2013 A Rockford school board candidate says his arrest for impersonating a police officer Thursday was not only a poorly thought out plan to trump up charges against him, but politically motivated.
Juan Reyes, owner of Security Professionals of Illinois, is campaigning for the Subdistrict F seat on the Rockford Board of Education. Thursday morning, April 4, Reyes was arrested at his home by the Illinois Secretary of State Police.
The arrest stems from an incident Reyes says he has thought little about until this week.
Nov. 28, Reyes, 41, was stopped by a Cherry Valley police officer for speeding. In complying with the request to produce his driver’s license, Reyes reached for his wallet, which holds a law enforcement badge.
Reyes carries the badge because he’s a member of the Illinois Police Bureau, a non-profit auxiliary law enforcement agency that assists police departments across the state.
“He asked me, ‘Do you work for an agency?’” Reyes said. “I told him, ‘I’m with the Illinois Police Bureau out of Chicago.’”
The officer issued Reyes a warning, advising him to obey the speed limit.
“That was the end of it,” Reyes said. “I drove off.”
Reyes said the stop surfaced briefly a month later when he applied for a position with the Secretary of State Police.
“I applied to be an investigator,” he said. “It was perfect–a job that would have allowed me to keep working my security business.”
Close to what Reyes felt was a job offer, a hiring officer inquired about the Cherry Valley traffic stop.
“He asked me if I told the police officer that I was a Chicago cop,” Reyes said of the interview.
Reyes later received written notice from the Secretary of State that he was no longer being considered for employment.
“I got the letter Jan. 10,” he said. “It thanked me for applying and that ‘due to the circumstances’ I was permanently ineligible for a job.”
The answer to why he was being accused of a crime almost five months after the alleged offense, Reyes said was nothing short of puzzling.
An official in Springfield, while reviewing his employment application, initiated a complaint against him for allegedly impersonating an officer during the November traffic stop.
“It makes no sense,” Reyes said. “They already had my paperwork long before Jan. 10. And now, days before the election, someone says I need to be arrested?”
Had he committed a crime, Reyes said, he would have expected to be arrested by the Cherry Valley Police Department.
“Being a law enforcement practitioner, I know that if I impersonated an officer, the agency that I impersonated to would need to arrest me, not the Secretary of State.”
While the Secretary of State Police does possess arresting power, its role is largely behind the scenes, regulating licenses issued to pawn shops, automobile dealers, auto parts stores and taxi companies. It also assists in tracking down stolen vehicles.
Lending to Reyes’ confusion was the identity of the arresting officer. According to court documents, the arrest warrant was served by Investigator Seth Beard.
“It’s the same investigator who interviewed me for the job with the Secretary of State,” Reyes said. “Again, he was already informed of the (traffic) incident long before Thursday. During my interview, he even took a picture of my bureau ID and badge. I was told there was no problem.”
Reyes was charged under Illinois Statutes 720 5/17-2(b)(3), False Impersonation of a Police Officer, and 720 5/17-2(d)(1), Producing a False Law Enforcement Badge.
According to the statute, it is a felony to misrepresent an individual or public police agency using the words: “‘Police Department’, ‘Patrolman’, ‘Sergeant’, ‘Lieutenant’, ‘Peace Officer’, ‘Sheriff’s Police’, ‘Sheriff’, ‘Officer’, ‘Law Enforcement,’ ‘Trooper’, ‘Deputy’,'Deputy Sheriff’ and ‘State Police.’”
It is also a crime to, ” knowingly produce, sell, or distribute a law enforcement badge without the express written consent of the law enforcement agency represented on the badge or, in case of a reorganized or defunct law enforcement agency, its successor law enforcement agency.”
Reyes says he did nothing to violate either law.
“There was nothing false about it,” Reyes said. “I didn’t tell him, ‘I’m a police officer.’ I told him I was the deputy chief of the bureau. That’s where it ended.
Reyes was also charged with using a false name, two charges he says are also not valid.
“When the officer ran my plates, he saw that my car is registered to me and the Illinois Police Bureau, he said. “I listed the title that way because I use red and blue police lights when I do work for the bureau. In order for a car to use red and blues, the vehicle must be associated with an agency permitted to use them.”
According to Chief Richard Buroff of the Illinois Police Bureau, Reyes has been with the more than 20-year-old agency for three years and serves as the deputy chief in charge of training. Buroff said Juan’s time with the organization has included nothing but exemplary service.
“I don’t believe Juan is guilty of anything,” Buroff said. “To me, someone delighted in starting something up they knew would appear in all of the newspapers.”
As for his campaign, Reyes, a former U.S. Marine and Desert Storm veteran, said he is running for school board because he believes in public education and aims to continue making a difference in Rockford.
“I have four kids in the district,” he said. “I am vested. I’ve been a coach. I am involved. If people want change in District 205, they can vote for me. I don’t hide behind anything. I will be that one guy with a true voice.
“These charges are bogus and they are trumped up.”
Reyes faces Michael Connor and Jeffery A. Holt in the April 9 election.
He is scheduled to appear in court Wednesday, April 11, in courtroom B, inside the Winnebago County Justice Center.
An attempt to reach Investigator Seth Beard was unsuccessful.
Source: rockfordrecord.com
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Rockford IL April 7 2013 A Rockford school board candidate says his arrest for impersonating a police officer Thursday was not only a poorly thought out plan to trump up charges against him, but politically motivated.Juan Reyes, owner of Security Professionals of Illinois, is campaigning for the Subdistrict F seat on the Rockford Board of Education. Thursday morning, April 4, Reyes was arrested at his home by the Illinois Secretary of State Police.
The arrest stems from an incident Reyes says he has thought little about until this week.
Nov. 28, Reyes, 41, was stopped by a Cherry Valley police officer for speeding. In complying with the request to produce his driver’s license, Reyes reached for his wallet, which holds a law enforcement badge.
Reyes carries the badge because he’s a member of the Illinois Police Bureau, a non-profit auxiliary law enforcement agency that assists police departments across the state.
“He asked me, ‘Do you work for an agency?’” Reyes said. “I told him, ‘I’m with the Illinois Police Bureau out of Chicago.’”
The officer issued Reyes a warning, advising him to obey the speed limit.
“That was the end of it,” Reyes said. “I drove off.”
Reyes said the stop surfaced briefly a month later when he applied for a position with the Secretary of State Police.
“I applied to be an investigator,” he said. “It was perfect–a job that would have allowed me to keep working my security business.”
Close to what Reyes felt was a job offer, a hiring officer inquired about the Cherry Valley traffic stop.
“He asked me if I told the police officer that I was a Chicago cop,” Reyes said of the interview.
Reyes later received written notice from the Secretary of State that he was no longer being considered for employment.
“I got the letter Jan. 10,” he said. “It thanked me for applying and that ‘due to the circumstances’ I was permanently ineligible for a job.”
The answer to why he was being accused of a crime almost five months after the alleged offense, Reyes said was nothing short of puzzling.
An official in Springfield, while reviewing his employment application, initiated a complaint against him for allegedly impersonating an officer during the November traffic stop.
“It makes no sense,” Reyes said. “They already had my paperwork long before Jan. 10. And now, days before the election, someone says I need to be arrested?”
Had he committed a crime, Reyes said, he would have expected to be arrested by the Cherry Valley Police Department.
“Being a law enforcement practitioner, I know that if I impersonated an officer, the agency that I impersonated to would need to arrest me, not the Secretary of State.”
While the Secretary of State Police does possess arresting power, its role is largely behind the scenes, regulating licenses issued to pawn shops, automobile dealers, auto parts stores and taxi companies. It also assists in tracking down stolen vehicles.
Lending to Reyes’ confusion was the identity of the arresting officer. According to court documents, the arrest warrant was served by Investigator Seth Beard.
“It’s the same investigator who interviewed me for the job with the Secretary of State,” Reyes said. “Again, he was already informed of the (traffic) incident long before Thursday. During my interview, he even took a picture of my bureau ID and badge. I was told there was no problem.”
Reyes was charged under Illinois Statutes 720 5/17-2(b)(3), False Impersonation of a Police Officer, and 720 5/17-2(d)(1), Producing a False Law Enforcement Badge.
According to the statute, it is a felony to misrepresent an individual or public police agency using the words: “‘Police Department’, ‘Patrolman’, ‘Sergeant’, ‘Lieutenant’, ‘Peace Officer’, ‘Sheriff’s Police’, ‘Sheriff’, ‘Officer’, ‘Law Enforcement,’ ‘Trooper’, ‘Deputy’,'Deputy Sheriff’ and ‘State Police.’”
It is also a crime to, ” knowingly produce, sell, or distribute a law enforcement badge without the express written consent of the law enforcement agency represented on the badge or, in case of a reorganized or defunct law enforcement agency, its successor law enforcement agency.”
Reyes says he did nothing to violate either law.
“There was nothing false about it,” Reyes said. “I didn’t tell him, ‘I’m a police officer.’ I told him I was the deputy chief of the bureau. That’s where it ended.
Reyes was also charged with using a false name, two charges he says are also not valid.
“When the officer ran my plates, he saw that my car is registered to me and the Illinois Police Bureau, he said. “I listed the title that way because I use red and blue police lights when I do work for the bureau. In order for a car to use red and blues, the vehicle must be associated with an agency permitted to use them.”
According to Chief Richard Buroff of the Illinois Police Bureau, Reyes has been with the more than 20-year-old agency for three years and serves as the deputy chief in charge of training. Buroff said Juan’s time with the organization has included nothing but exemplary service.
“I don’t believe Juan is guilty of anything,” Buroff said. “To me, someone delighted in starting something up they knew would appear in all of the newspapers.”
As for his campaign, Reyes, a former U.S. Marine and Desert Storm veteran, said he is running for school board because he believes in public education and aims to continue making a difference in Rockford.
“I have four kids in the district,” he said. “I am vested. I’ve been a coach. I am involved. If people want change in District 205, they can vote for me. I don’t hide behind anything. I will be that one guy with a true voice.
“These charges are bogus and they are trumped up.”
Reyes faces Michael Connor and Jeffery A. Holt in the April 9 election.
He is scheduled to appear in court Wednesday, April 11, in courtroom B, inside the Winnebago County Justice Center.
An attempt to reach Investigator Seth Beard was unsuccessful.
Source: rockfordrecord.com