NORTH COUNTY -- A former Camp Pendleton Marine accused of killing two insurgent detainees in Iraq in late 2004 should be reinstated as a Riverside police officer pending resolution of the case, the president of the Riverside Police Officers Association said Thursday.

Jose Nazario was terminated from his job Aug. 7, eight days before he appeared in U.S. District Court in Riverside on a charge of voluntary manslaughter for the Fallujah killings.

Nazario was in his probationary period when he was terminated; Riverside police officials gave no reason for the firing.

His lawyers contend that the dismissal is tied directly to the allegations against Nazario, who has said he is innocent in the detainee deaths.

Riverside police Detective Ken Tutwiler, president of the police officers association, said he believes that the 27-year-old married father of one should have been placed on administrative leave until the government's case against him is resolved.

In a written statement, Tutwiler said Nazario was eight weeks shy of completing his probationary period.

"We live in a country where a person is considered innocent until proven guilty. Like all Riverside police officer candidates, he underwent rigorous psychological and polygraph tests and passed with flying colors," Tutwiler wrote.

One of Nazario's lawyers, Emery Ledger, has released the results of that polygraph, which shows his client answered truthfully when asked if he was aware of or had ever committed a major crime.

Ledger said Nazario is grateful for the association's support.

Tutwiler said Nazario's dismissal from the police force appears related to the charge he faces in the Fallujah incident.

"In the face of accusations related to his war record, Nazario finds himself dismissed without recourse, leaving him without a livelihood," he said.

The association also has set up a fund to help Nazario and his wife, former Murrieta residents who now live in Riverside, cover living expenses.

Efforts to reach the Riverside police chief's office for a comment on the association request were not immediately successful.

Contact staff writer Mark Walker at (760) 740-3529 or mlwalker@nctimes.com.