CHICAGO — A Chicago police officer is facing criminal charges for allegedly threatening another cop who was scheduled to testify against him in a legal proceeding. Marco Torres, 40, is charged with one count of harassing a witness in connection with threats he allegedly made to a 41-year-old detective last May.
A report by the Chicago Police Department’s Bureau of Internal Affairs said Torres called the woman on May 20, 2024, to dissuade her from testifying in a pending assault case: “It’s me, Marco,” he said, according to the report. “I’ve been crying. Please do not testify against me.”
“This is my life please dont [sic] testify i always cover my tracks…” he texted later, according to a separate court filing. “I would hope that you keep this between us. Or my comander [sic] will get you fired.”
Judge James Costello put Torres on a GPS monitor and ordered him to surrender his firearms and firearms licenses while the case is pending. If Torres cannot possess firearms, he cannot be paid as a CPD officer.
Last November, Torres was given 12 months of court supervision after being found guilty of misdemeanor assault, a case that involved allegations that he threatened to kill another detective in his unit. He is appealing the sentence because it also requires him to surrender his firearms, which would disqualify him from working as a cop. Torres has asked that he only be prohibited from possessing firearms while off-duty.
CPD stripped Torres of police powers last year while the department continues its internal investigation.
