Drew Peterson could lose his $79,000 annual pension from the Bolingbrook Police Department as a result of the guilty verdict in his murder trial.

Under state law governing public employee pensions, a local pension board could revoke Peterson's pension if it determines he used his police powers or even his skills as a veteran officer in the 2004 murder of his third wife, Kathleen Savio. Peterson retired as a sergeant in 2007, just a month shy of serving 30 years with the department, said Detective Henry Cunningham, the pension board chairman.

Richard Reimer, the attorney for the pension board, said Friday he had requested copies of transcripts of Peterson's trial and would prepare a report to the board. The board cannot move to cut off Peterson's monthly pension payments until after he has been sentenced in November, Reimer said.

A hearing would be held before Peterson's pension could be revoked, and Peterson would have legal representation and the ability to present evidence and witnesses — a sort of minitrial that might rehash much of the testimony from the murder trial.

Typically the law applies to public employees whose crimes are directly linked to abuse of their official powers or occurred while on duty, such as embezzling government money or taking a bribe, said Jeff Goodloe, a Libertyville attorney who represents numerous police and fire pension boards.

"I think it's a difficult argument for a pension board to make in this case," Goodloe said. "It's a heinous crime, but there didn't seem to be a connection to his service as a police officer."

However, there have been cases in which pension boards have determined that the skills and specialized knowledge public officials gain on the job have facilitated off-the-clock criminal behavior, such as firefighters who commit arsons, Goodloe said.

Peterson's attorney Joel Brodsky said he believes Peterson's pension is safe, pointing out that prosecutors hinted that Peterson had special training as a crime scene investigator but never offered evidence that he tampered with a crime scene.

"His pension is safe. ... That money goes to his kids now anyway, even though I'm sure (State's Attorney) Jim Glasgow would like to see them thrown out in the street," Brodsky said. "It's not like the trial. You would have to present actual evidence to the pension board, and they don't have that."

As with many police forces across the state, Bolingbrook officers do not pay Social Security payroll taxes, so they do not receive Social Security benefits unless they qualify for them from other employment, Cunningham said.

agrimm@tribune.com