Records: Secretary of State officers disciplined for displaying gun at St. Bede

A Secretary of State officer was given a written warning for displaying a gun while off duty and out of uniform during a spring baseball game at St. Bede Academy, records show.

The disposition against officer Joseph A. Foster indicated the warning “is the first step of progressive discipline.”

The chiefs of the Spring Valley and Peru police departments aren’t privy to what that “progressive discipline” entails and issued a limited statement on how the March 28 incident was resolved.

“Neither the Spring Valley Police Department nor the Peru Police Department know the policies or inner workings of the Secretary of State Police Department and can only comment that it was their internal investigation to complete and their conclusion to come to,” according to a joint statement by Spring Valley Chief Adam Curran and Peru Chief Sarah Raymond. “That conclusion is a result of their investigation, and we can only hope it is the correct one for that officer’s future.”

The Secretary of State’s Office did not respond to a Friday request for a statement by Foster or to make him available for comment.

As previously reported, Spring Valley and Peru police officers were dispatched to the St. Bede home game after a spectator saw someone in the stands with a firearm. Spring Valley police later confirmed that the man with the gun was a police officer identified as Foster, although he initially declined to disclose his name or affiliation.

Soon after, the Secretary of State’s Office confirmed that an investigation was launched, and the officer was assigned to desk duty pending the outcome of the investigation. The agency last week released a copy of the disposition reached in the internal investigation against Foster.

“On March 28, 2023, while you [Foster] were off duty at a ballgame, your weapon was on your person and in display of the public,” said the finding, which Foster signed June 8. “A Spring Valley police officer approached you, and you initially refused to identify yourself as a police officer. This behavior resulted in affecting adversely the confidence of the public and the integrity of the office.”

When asked in July if Foster had been disciplined, an agency spokesman issued a statement that did not elaborate on the discipline meted out against him.

“An investigation by Secretary of State police was conducted, and appropriate disciplinary action was taken,” spokesman Henry Haupt said via email July 25. “The officer was not disciplined for possession of a firearm, as he was legally authorized to carry it.”

Whether Foster was authorized to carry the weapon, however, was never in dispute. At issue was whether he should have concealed it.

According to the Law Enforcement Officers’ Safety Act of Illinois and the practice of several other police departments, officers must conceal their weapons.

According to reports obtained from the Spring Valley and Peru police departments, Foster had a black semiautomatic handgun sticking out of the waistband of the cargo pants that he wore to the game.

“The handgun is clearly displayed in wide open public view. It should be noted that the handgun was not accompanied by a law enforcement badge,” according to the report by Spring Valley officer Jared Sadnick.

Foster, Sadnick said, was ordered to show his hands. He did not comply. Foster instead “reached toward his back waistband area where the firearm was located.”

Only after another officer unholstered his firearm and ordered Foster to show his hands did Foster comply, according to the police report.

As the Spring Valley officer approached, Foster “instantly became aggressive toward officers by yelling and screaming that we were unprofessional and that we could have killed somebody,” according to the police report.

Foster said that he at first could not hear the officers because he had earbuds in his ears. He said he was reaching not for his weapon but for his phone.

When asked for identification, Foster said, “I’m a cop,” but initially refused to show anything before providing a state identification card.

“As officers left the scene, Joseph could be seen taking photos of license plates of anyone that had spoken to police officers,” according to the police report.