2 Joliet Police Officers Face Termination

JOLIET, IL - The city of Joliet is moving forward with dismissals of two long-time Joliet Police Department officers for unrelated issues involving their performance. However, both Lionel Allen and Brian Nagra are still on the city's payroll at this moment, collecting their regular paychecks, as they challenge the actions of Joliet Police Chief Al Roechner to get rid of them.

In the coming weeks, separate termination proceedings for Allen and Nagra would take place at a hearing held by the Joliet Police and Fire Board. The appointed members would then hear all the evidence and rule whether the terminations for Allen and Nagra were justified.

In September 2018, reporter Bob Okon of the Joliet Herald-News published an article concerning Officer Brian Nagra and an internal affairs probe that was underway.

Okon noted in his September article that "Officials are not talking about the reasons for officer Brian Nagra being placed on desk duty."

Since then, Joliet Patch has tracked down information related to Nagra's removal from on-duty patrol assignments at the Joliet Police Station.

Last week, Joliet Patch submitted the following Freedom of Information request to the Joliet Police Department noting that, "At this point in time, Joliet Patch requests access to any and all documents related to the 2018 Internal Affairs probe involving Officer Nagra. It is my understanding the matter concerned allegations of falsified time sheets and Officer Nagra's overtime pay. As part of Joliet Patch's records request, please provide access to any correspondence directed to Officer Nagra concerning him being placed on desk duty and also any follow up correspondence related to the findings/outcome of the Joliet Police Department's Internal Affairs Probe concerning him."

On Monday, one of Joliet's new deputy chiefs of police, John Perona, rejected the Joliet Patch's Freedom of Information request.

"This letter is to inform you that your FOIA request is being denied for the following reasons; 5 ILCS 140/7(1)(d)(i),the disclosure would interfere with pending or actually/reasonably contemplated law enforcement proceedings conducted by any law enforcement agency that is the recipient of the request(open investigation, case pending)," Perona's response stated.

As for Lionel Allen, he is a black officer who filed a federal lawsuit last summer against the city of Joliet and then-police chief Brian Benton alleging racial discrimination. Allen is one of the longest serving members of the Joliet Police Department now in his 30th year.

As Joliet Patch has previously reported, Allen's 2018 federal lawsuit indicated that back on June 16, 2016, Chief Benton "recommended that Allen be terminated. Allen was accused of "conduct unbecoming a department member, false statements" and making "frivolous complaints" against his fellow officers who are white.

"White officers have been accused of far worse misdeeds than 'making a false complaint,' which Allen did not even do, but Chief Benton did not recommend their termination," Allen's lawsuit stated.

However, Allen's lawsuit contended that in 2016 Chief Benton told Allen he would not be fired if he chose to withdraw his EEOC complaint alleging racial discrimination and would "agree not to file any future charges, signed a 'last chance agreement' and took a 15-day suspension."

"Allen accepted the discipline to stay employed," his lawsuit stated. "Thereafter, he was suspended for 15 days."

RELATED: Lionel Allen Files Federal Lawsuit Against Joliet

File image via John Ferak/Joliet Patch Editor