Marcus Beach started his law enforcement career in 1996 with the Rantoul Police Department in central Illinois. During his 27-year career, he worked a variety of assignments including dispatch, patrol, narcotics, SWAT, and Investigations. Marcus retired March 10, 2023, at the rank of Sergeant and was a supervisor on the day shift patrol division.

After retirement, Marcus began working with the Illinois Innocence Project through the University of Illinois-Springfield as the Associate Director of the Wrongful Conviction Awareness and Avoidance training project. This project has brought training on Wrongful Convictions, and the common contributing factors that lead to Wrongful Convictions, to recruit police officers in the State’s many police academies. This training was made mandatory by the Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board in 2023. 

Marcus has an AAS degree in Criminal Justice from Parkland College, a Bachelor of Arts degree through Eastern Illinois University, and a Master of Public Administration degree through the University of Illinois-Springfield.