People v. Crawford

Defendant, Joseph Crawford, was charged with unlawful use of a firearm by a felon. Defendant previously had been convicted of voluntary manslaughter. After a trial without a jury, the trial court found defendant guilty of the offense charged and sentenced him to a term of three years. On appeal defendant contends that the statute in question is void because it is an arbitrary exercise of the State's police power, that he was denied equal protection and due process of law, and that the statute violates the doctrine of separation of powers. Because of the nature of the arguments on appeal, only a few facts are necessary. On August 10, 1984, at 12:15 a.m., two Chicago police officers arrested defendant for possession of a loaded .38-caliber, snub-nosed revolver in his waistband. Defendant was standing outside of an apartment building in which he resided. The arrest occurred as the result of a complaint by an unidentified individual who stopped the officers. At trial, the State offered into evidence a certified copy of defendant's 1975 conviction for voluntary manslaughter.