CPD recruit arrested with ‘suspected crack cocaine’ at academy has case tossed
Charges were abruptly dropped Monday against a Chicago police recruit who was arrested last month when he was allegedly found with crack cocaine during a simulated search at the police academy.
The court record offers no indication why the felony drug charge was tossed out during his first hearing. But the recruit’s lawyer, Tim Grace, said the case was dropped after testing proved the alleged contraband wasn’t actually narcotics.
On April 21, the 24-year-old recruit was acting as a crime suspect being searched for drugs when he was found with four baggies with green dollar signs that contained “suspect crack cocaine,” according to police reports. The recruit had been given phony heroin in a bag with blue stars.
Asked what was in the four baggies found in his cargo pants, the recruit said, “That’s nothing, that’s just garbage.”
“These aren’t my pants, they belong to my brother,” the recruit said. “He’s the police.”
He was then detained and taken to the Central District and charged with possession of a controlled substance, records show.
Grace said the recruit’s brother was previously in the academy and had bought cargo pants for training scenarios. The recruit simply borrowed them and didn’t realize his brother had left phony drugs inside, Grace said.
“They finally searched and sent it to the lab. It wasn’t narcotics,” Grace said. “It was like a look-alike substance.”
Grace said his client “certainly would have a potential lawsuit against the city of Chicago” over the arrest, but likely won’t file a complaint because “he wants to be a police officer.”
The recruit declined to comment. He remains on the city payroll, earning $61,782.
A police spokesperson said an internal investigation is ongoing but declined to comment further.
John Catanzara, president of the Chicago Fraternal Order of Police, said he has filed a disciplinary complaint against a Bureau of Internal Affairs investigator who he said was involved in that probe.
“He has absolutely made it a crusade to criminally charge our officers before investigations are even complete,” Catanzara said in a video posted to YouTube.
“Even when presented with clear, innocent-proving facts and documentation, he still has decided to go ahead and criminally charge our officers. He needs to be stopped.”
The court record offers no indication why the felony drug charge was tossed out during his first hearing. But the recruit’s lawyer, Tim Grace, said the case was dropped after testing proved the alleged contraband wasn’t actually narcotics.
On April 21, the 24-year-old recruit was acting as a crime suspect being searched for drugs when he was found with four baggies with green dollar signs that contained “suspect crack cocaine,” according to police reports. The recruit had been given phony heroin in a bag with blue stars.
Asked what was in the four baggies found in his cargo pants, the recruit said, “That’s nothing, that’s just garbage.”
“These aren’t my pants, they belong to my brother,” the recruit said. “He’s the police.”
He was then detained and taken to the Central District and charged with possession of a controlled substance, records show.
Grace said the recruit’s brother was previously in the academy and had bought cargo pants for training scenarios. The recruit simply borrowed them and didn’t realize his brother had left phony drugs inside, Grace said.
“They finally searched and sent it to the lab. It wasn’t narcotics,” Grace said. “It was like a look-alike substance.”
Grace said his client “certainly would have a potential lawsuit against the city of Chicago” over the arrest, but likely won’t file a complaint because “he wants to be a police officer.”
The recruit declined to comment. He remains on the city payroll, earning $61,782.
A police spokesperson said an internal investigation is ongoing but declined to comment further.
John Catanzara, president of the Chicago Fraternal Order of Police, said he has filed a disciplinary complaint against a Bureau of Internal Affairs investigator who he said was involved in that probe.
“He has absolutely made it a crusade to criminally charge our officers before investigations are even complete,” Catanzara said in a video posted to YouTube.
“Even when presented with clear, innocent-proving facts and documentation, he still has decided to go ahead and criminally charge our officers. He needs to be stopped.”