A former Chicago police officer dealing with trial for perjury and forgery has admitted he lied beneath oath dozens of instances when he used an audacious alibi to get out of a large number of rushing tickets and different site visitors violations. Over greater than a decade, he time and again blamed an ex-girlfriend for stealing his automotive and racking up the tickets — and every time, the tale used to be bogus.
Jeffrey Kriv, considered one of Chicago’s maximum prolific drunk-driving enforcers all through his greater than 25 years as a cop, used to be sentenced to 18 months’ probation and ordered to pay $4,515 in restitution after pleading responsible remaining week to a lesser price of prison robbery. A plea settlement with prosecutors in Cook dinner County, the place Chicago is situated, allowed Kriv to steer clear of prison time and ended the legal case towards him, however the implications of his movements pass a ways past his personal case.
A ProPublica research of courtroom and police information has discovered that prosecutors have dropped no less than 92 site visitors and legal instances that have been in accordance with arrests Kriv made and tickets he wrote. Lots of the instances that have been pushed aside in touch under the influence of alcohol and perilous using. Protection legal professionals in the ones instances have cited Kriv’s perjury case and his credibility factor.
ProPublica and the Chicago Tribune prior to now detailed Kriv’s historical past of alleged misconduct as an officer, together with that he’d been investigated no less than 26 instances over allegations of dishonesty for falsifying information, making false arrests and different issues. He used to be the topic of just about 100 court cases from electorate and fellow officials in his occupation; maximum officials face a ways fewer.
Kriv denied the allegations in lots of the ones instances and blamed others on how regularly he made stops and arrests. In spite of everything, lots of the investigations may just now not be pursued as a result of his accusers didn’t signal formal court cases, and a few court cases, together with those who in touch allegations of dishonesty, weren’t sustained through police oversight officers. In different instances, oversight officers discovered Kriv answerable for the misconduct.
He retired in 2023, simply sooner than prosecutors charged him.
Kriv’s plea deal used to be filed in Cook dinner County courtroom on Sept. 24, a couple of week sooner than his case used to be scheduled to visit trial. Prosecutors for the Cook dinner County state’s legal professional’s place of job informed ProPublica this week that Kriv had 56 of his personal site visitors tickets pushed aside after offering false testimony to judges. That’s greater than the 44 tickets that prosecutors had prior to now indicated in courtroom information. The fines for the ones tickets would were $4,515, the quantity he used to be ordered to pay in restitution.
Addressing the fallout from Kriv’s perjury case on different courtroom instances constructed on his policing, the state’s legal professional’s place of job mentioned it dropped pending instances towards people who Kriv had arrested or ticketed as a result of it might now not continue with out his testimony.
“Shall we now not name him as a witness because of the false statements he prior to now made with a purpose to have his personal private tickets pushed aside,” the place of job wrote according to questions from ProPublica. One case used to be pushed aside as just lately as August, information display. Prosecutors mentioned there aren’t any pending instances during which Kriv’s testimony is wanted.
The state’s legal professional’s place of job mentioned that, going ahead, any claims from people who were convicted in Kriv-involved instances will probably be “moderately reviewed.” There are also defendants who’ve now not proven up in courtroom and feature warrants out for his or her arrests, so their instances may well be referred to as once more.
“Our precedence is to uphold our prison and moral duties whilst making sure equity,” the place of job mentioned.
Beneath the plea settlement, Kriv admitted that he time and again blamed a female friend for stealing his BMW to get his tickets pushed aside. “Smartly, that morning, I broke up with my female friend and he or she stole my automotive,” Kriv informed one pass judgement on. He repeated identical tales over and over again to get out of tickets for rushing, parking and crimson mild digital camera violations involving his private automobiles. Kriv additionally equipped fraudulent police studies of auto thefts as proof. The judges then pushed aside the tickets.
Kriv were charged with 4 counts of perjury and 5 counts of forgery, they all felonies. Each and every of the ones offenses would were punishable through as much as 5 years in jail.
Kriv’s legal professional, Tim Grace, informed ProPublica that he and Kriv would now not remark.
The manager director of the Policemen’s Annuity and Get advantages Fund of Chicago mentioned the pension board will meet to come to a decision if Kriv can proceed to assemble his pension advantages, given the prison conviction. Illinois regulation prohibits officials who’re convicted of felonies associated with their provider from receiving pension advantages. Kriv’s pension cost is greater than $6,000 a month.
In courtroom remaining yr, Kriv informed a ProPublica reporter that he used to be blameless. “I’m going to struggle it,” he mentioned on the time. “I don’t plan on taking any plea.” He complained that folks accused of carjacking and gun offenses get probation, and he criticized prosecutors for treating him like a legal. “I’m worse than a carjacker, allegedly,” he mentioned.
He additionally mentioned “it’s a disgrace” and “it’s horrible” that prosecutors have dropped instances towards alleged drunken drivers and others as a result of considerations about his credibility. He mentioned he sought after to testify in the ones instances and mentioned prosecutors had sidelined him upfront.
“You know the way the gadget is: You might be responsible till confirmed blameless,” he mentioned.
