Excerpts from the pjstar.com:
The East Peoria Fire Department now has four certified arson investigators on its staff; that’s twice the number of the Peoria Fire Department, a department five times its size.
“We’re happy to have our newest certified arson investigator and are comfortable with the staffing (number),” East Peoria Fire Chief Al Servis said Thursday. “It allows us to have an arson investigator on every shift.”
According to Assistant Chief John Knapp, the East Peoria Fire Department investigated 30 to 40 fires in 2015. Of those, 25-30 percent, or about nine or 10 fires, were suspected arson.
Firefighter Eric Duckworth completed the five-week Southwestern Illinois Police Academy’s Basic Arson Investigator Course at the Downers Grove Fire Department last week.
On July 5, the Peoria City Council will vote on a resolution classifying Duckworth as a peace officer for arson investigations. The designation gives Duckworth the same powers of arrest and search and seizure as a police officer, and authorizes him to carry a firearm while investigating arson or arson-related crimes. The tuition includes the 40-hour mandatory firearms training and certification.
“Illinois law allows local agencies to have arson investigators that are sworn peace officers. Their powers as a peace officer are restricted to when they are in the process of an active arson investigation,” said Jacquelyn Reineke, spokeswoman for the State Fire Marshal’s Office. “They cannot make traffic stops or any other police action outside of the scope of an arson investigation.”
Duckworth has been a member of the East Peoria Fire Department for 16 years and a fire investigator for seven years.
The department’s three other arson investigators — assistant chiefs Knapp and Rick Ward and firefighter Mike Menssen — are also designated peace officers. A fifth member of the department, Firefighter Tony Piraino, is a fire investigator, a designation and position that lacks the policing authority to carry a gun and arrest people.
In February, the city bestowed peace officer designation on one of its code enforcement officers, believed to be the first of its kind in Illinois. Like the arson investigator, the designation allows the code enforcement officer to arrest people and carry a firearm while on duty. The code officer was a retired East Peoria police officer and had already completed the firearms certification. City officials said at the time that it was a unique situation, and that the city wasn’t going to start sending or paying for its code enforcement officers to attend firearms training.
The Peoria Fire Department has two fire investigators and two fire inspectors. The department has more than 200 sworn firefighters and responded to more than 19,000 emergency calls last year. The East Peoria Fire Department has about 40 firefighters and responded to 3,737 calls in 2015.
thanks Dan
