Two former officers indicted over license plate searches

The indictment

A grand jury indicted two former police officers in a case involving searches of license plate records without authorization. One officer previously worked for the Itasca Police Department, and the other previously worked for the West Chicago Police Department.

The case concerns the use of license plate-search systems. The indictment alleges that searches were conducted without proper authorization. The two former officers are accused as individuals; the information identifies their former police affiliations but does not state that either department was charged.

What an indictment means

A grand jury indictment is a formal criminal accusation. It allows a case to move forward in court, but it is not a finding that the accused people committed the alleged offenses. The charges must be addressed through the court process.

The allegations involve the authority to search license plate information. License plate records can be used by law enforcement for investigative purposes, but the conduct at issue here is whether the searches were authorized.

What happens next

The case will proceed through the criminal court process. That process can include court appearances, motions and later decisions about the allegations. Any final outcome will come through the court rather than the indictment itself.

The two defendants are former officers from separate DuPage County-area departments. The indictment places the allegations before the court for resolution.