HARVEY | The Cook County Sheriff's Department late Tuesday pulled the plug on its investigation of weapons that went missing from the Harvey Police Department firing range.
County officers "have been unable to conduct a thorough and proper investigation free of influence by Harvey police," spokesman Steve Patterson said in a prepared release. "Because of that, we are ordering all of our officers out of Harvey tonight."
The Harvey Police Department in a prepared response denied trying to influence the investigation.
"In no way did (the department) attempt to hinder this investigation or supersede the authority of the Cook County sheriff's police," spokeswoman Sandra Alvarado said.
Harvey police had been working with county and federal authorities to retrieve more than 20 weapons that were stolen from a trailer at the police firearms range.
The 21 weapons and several other items were discovered missing about 9 a.m. Monday when officers responded to the office at the range at 153rd Street and Campbell Avenue.
Patterson said the Sheriff's Department sent in a team of detectives, gang investigators and others Tuesday afternoon after the department was assured the investigation would be "truly independent."
A few hours into the investigation it became "abundantly clear that the work by our officers will not be independent," Patterson said.
Alvarado said the Harvey department had been looking forward to a joint effort and considered its top priority to be solving the case and recovering the missing weapons quickly.
The stolen weapons, which reportedly include automatic AR-15 rifles and MP5 submachine guns, were reported to Illinois State Police; the federal Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; and all local police departments, Alvarado said in a release. State police issued a statewide report.
In addition, the city sent a notice of the theft to all police departments in the United States through the Law Enforcement Agencies Data System, Alvarado said.
She said the department still will reach out to the county sheriff's police and other governmental agencies to help solve the case, which she said is considered "high priority."
Anyone with information about the theft should call Harvey police at (708) 210-5226.
