Markham police suspend police officer over invalid FOID card
A Markham police officer has been suspended for not having a valid state firearm owner’s identification card, a law enforcement source said Tuesday.
The state revoked his FOID card because he was convicted of misdemeanor domestic battery in 1997 in Virginia, the source said. Markham requires its officers to have the card, which allows them to possess a handgun.
The Chicago Sun-Times previously reported that Robbins Officer Charles Smith was charged Sept. 1 with illegal possession of a firearm by a felon. Smith, who was convicted of mail fraud in 1998, had two handguns even though his felony conviction barred him from getting a FOID card, Cook County prosecutors said.
The Markham officer disclosed his conviction on his application before he was hired about four months ago. At the time, he possessed a valid FOID card, but the state later revoked it after discovering his conviction, a source said.
Under state law, no one can possess an Illinois FOID card if they’ve been convicted of domestic battery in another jurisdiction in 1997 or later.
The state didn’t inform Markham of the revocation. Instead, the police department independently discovered the problem while doing a routine check to see if its officers’ FOID cards and driver’s licenses were valid, the source said, adding, “this is a wake-up call for every department.”
The Markham officer, who is not being identified because he has not been charged with a crime, could be fired if he’s unable to persuade the state to restore his card. He and Markham’s police chief couldn’t be reached for comment.
