Update on Officer Steven Harrison

Accused Ex-cop is Addict


A disgraced Oak Lawn police officer, accused of shaking down Hispanic immigrants for cash, is a heroin junkie, it was revealed in court Friday.

It's unclear whether former rookie officer Steven Harrison, 26, was addicted when he allegedly solicited bribes of up to $250 from as many as 14 Hispanic motorists during illegal traffic stops last fall.

Harrison -- already facing more than 20 counts of official misconduct, intimidation and theft -- was arrested while free on bail June 20 on the West Side with 10 wraps of heroin in his pocket. He's now also charged with possession of heroin.

Chicago officers spotted him buying the dope on the platform at the Cicero Green Line L station about 7:40 p.m., police said.

Harrison seemed close to tears as he appeared Friday before Cook County Circuit Court Judge Rosemary Higgins. At one point, Higgins barked at Harrison, "Stop with the puppy dog eyes," adding, "You held a position in the community, but you have chosen to flout the law."

Harrison, of the 3800 block of West 107th Place, has been in the County Jail, isolated for his own safety, since his latest arrest. He was fired by Oak Lawn in October after being charged with the shakedowns.

His attorney, Brian Bennett, urged Higgins to release Harrison so he could receive treatment for his addiction, explaining that Harrison's health insurance benefits had expired following his firing and that there were no drug treatment programs that would accept him while he was jailed.

Harrison's parents would keep a close watch on him once he was released, Bennett said.

But Higgins said the parents "were watching over him when he relapsed," and told Harrison, "I'm not going to trust you to be out on the street on bond."

Outside court, Bennett declined to say whether Harrison was using heroin while working as a cop.