A long time peoria police officer is on paid leave pending a State Police Investigation. Peoria Police Chief Steve Settingsgaard says one of the Department’s unmarked cars was involved in a crash over the weekend. He says the car left the scene and was later reported stolen. 

“As the investigation progressed it became clear that some of the information we were operating on was incorrect or false, and when it became clear to me we may have criminal allegations against one of our officers I placed that officer on paid leave status and asked for the state police to take over that investigation, which they have,” Settingsgaard says.

He calls it standard practice, and says his office will follow the criminal investigation with an internal investigation. Personnel policy prohibits the chief from identifying the officer. The Peoria Journal Star is reporting John Couve who has been with the department 25-years is the officer on leave.