Bloomington police chief nominated for US Marshal

Brendan Heffner
Brendan Heffner has been police chief of Bloomington since 2013.
(WJBC file photo)

By Greg Halbleib

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Bloomington Police Chief Brendan Heffner is President Trump’s choice to become U.S. Marshal for Central Illinois.

Senators Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth announced Heffner’s nomination on Tuesday.

Heffner began his career in law enforcement in 1985 as a patrolman in Normal. He moved to the Illinois State Police in 1989 where he worked in drug interdiction, internal affairs, labor relations and counterterrorism, and also supervised a narcotics task force comprised of several agencies. Heffner retired from the state police in 2010 as a lieutenant colonel and was hired as Bloomington police chief in 2013.

The Senate Judiciary Committee must approve the nomination before sending it to the full Senate.

Greg Halbleib can be reached at [email protected].

Blogs

Labor Day – Expanding voting rights for all

By Mike Matejka Because of COVID, there is no Labor Day Parade this year.  It’s always a great event for our everyday workers to march proudly down the street and enjoys the festive crowd. If there had been a parade, this year’s Labor Day theme was to be “150 years of struggle: your right to vote.” …

Is federal mobilization the answer?

By Mike Matejka As President Donald Trump threatens to send federal marshals into Chicago, over the objections of Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, recall another Illinois Governor who protested the incursion of armed federal personnel into the city.   Those federal troops, rather than calming, escalated the situation, leading to deaths and violence. Illinois poet Vachel Lindsay…

In these troubled times, to my fellow white Americans

By Mike Matejka Our nation is at a unique watershed in human relations. African-Americans have been killed too many times in the past before George Floyd, but the response to this man’s death is international and all-encompassing. I was a grade-schooler during the Civil Rights 1960s. I watched Birmingham demonstrators hosed and the Selma – Montgomery…

Workers’ Memorial Day – Remember those whose job took their life

Looking around our community, when we say employer, most will respond to State Farm, Country, or Illinois State University.   We too often forget those who are building our roads, serving our food, or our public employees. COVID-19 has made us more aware of the risk.  Going to work every day for some people means…