OPINION:
As a police officer, though now retired, I usually give law enforcement the benefit of the doubt when an anti-police story breaks. I know how often facts are misrepresented, how hard the job is and how quickly judgment is passed — but not in the case of Hanover Park, Illinois, police officer Radule Bojovic.
Last week, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arrested Mr. Bojovic, a citizen of Montenegro who, according to federal authorities, overstayed a tourist visa in 2015 and has been living in the U.S. unlawfully ever since. Despite that, Mr. Bojovic was hired, armed and sworn in as an American police officer entrusted with the authority to arrest citizens and carry a firearm he could not legally possess. Let that sink in: A person not legally allowed to be in the country was policing Americans on American soil.
The village of Hanover Park claims it followed procedure, that Mr. Bojovic presented a “valid” work authorization card and passed background checks. Officials even referenced a Department of Justice memo that they said allowed someone of his immigration status to carry a gun. That defense is absurd.
Federal law is unambiguous: It is unlawful for nonimmigrant aliens to possess firearms or serve in official U.S. law enforcement capacities. The excuses from local officials are desperate attempts to deflect blame from their own incompetence — or worse, complicity.
The first and most immediate step is clear: Mr. Bojovic should be terminated, prosecuted and deported. There is no gray area. Still, the accountability cannot stop with him. Every person involved in his hiring — the police chief, human resources staff, the mayor and village administrators — must be investigated. Anyone knowingly hiring an illegal immigrant should be charged with aiding and abetting. If they didn’t know but should have known, they should be fired for negligence.
When I wore the badge, we were ordered not to associate with known felons, per policy. Doing so could cost us our jobs. Yet Hanover Park effectively hired a criminal and gave him a gun. The department violated the same standards that every honest cop is held to. If the rank and file must be held accountable for the company they keep, so must those in leadership be held accountable for the people they hire. This isn’t just a bureaucratic blunder; it’s a betrayal of public trust.
The federal government must use this case as a warning to every police agency in the country: Verify your ranks. Every department should immediately audit its hiring and background processes. Law enforcement is an institution built on legitimacy: on the moral and legal authority to enforce laws fairly. Allowing someone who isn’t even legally in the country to wear that uniform is the ultimate corruption of that authority. It’s the fox guarding the henhouse, and it must never happen again.
This case also highlights a deeper systemic issue. Over the past decade, law enforcement has been vilified, defunded and politically exploited. The profession has been stripped of respect and, as a result, fewer good men and women are stepping up to serve. Departments desperate to fill vacancies are lowering standards, cutting corners and making catastrophic hiring decisions. Hanover Park’s failure is a direct byproduct of that environment, a symptom of the broader decline in recruitment and leadership standards across the country.
Make no mistake: This is not an isolated risk. We have already seen troubling reports of “Chinese police stations” operating in U.S. cities, calls for the enforcement of Shariah in some neighborhoods and communities creating de facto zones where local police are discouraged or banned. When we start compromising who gets to enforce the law, we invite infiltration and manipulation from those who do not share our values or allegiance to our Constitution.
This is not about xenophobia; it’s about sovereignty and security. We cannot allow foreign nationals, let alone illegal immigrants, to hold positions of American authority. Law enforcement power must rest exclusively in the hands of those legally entitled to serve and sworn to uphold the Constitution. Anything less undermines the integrity of our nation and the safety of its people.
Hanover Park’s failure is a warning shot. It’s proof that when politics, desperation and incompetence collide, the system collapses. An illegal immigrant was allowed to wear an American badge, carry a gun and enforce laws he was himself breaking. That should outrage every citizen, every police officer and every leader who believes in the rule of law.
We are one nation under one Constitution, with one set of laws. We cannot permit foreign nationals, ideological radicals or negligent bureaucrats to erode that foundation from within. The fox has already been let into the henhouse. It’s time to slam the gate shut before it happens again.
• David Berez is a retired police officer and drug recognition expert, having served more than 20 years with the East Windsor Police Department in New Jersey and a total of 33 years in emergency services.
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