Arlington Heights police charge man for impersonating cop

Arlington Heights police Thursday charged a man with impersonating a police officer on Wednesday morning.

A resident called police at around 10 a.m. Thursday after seeing a suspect at Sunset Meadows Park who matched the description provided in news reports.

Keith A. Albert, 45, of the 900 block of West Cedar Lane in Arlington Heights was charged with false personation of a police officer, driving under the influence and transportation of open alcohol.

Impersonating a police officer is a class 4 felony, while the DUI charge is a class A misdemeanor.

Police said they found a Lakemoor police badge and Lake County sheriff's police marine unit ID card in Albert's vehicle. Investigators confirmed that Albert was not an active member of either police agency but could not immediately say how he had acquired either the badge or ID.

Police now believe Albert was the man who flashed a fake Lakemoor police badge and tried to talk to children at Sunset Meadows Park on Wednesday.

According to police, the man went up to a young boy and introduced himself as a police officer.

He showed the boy a five-point badge in a black leather case that read "Lakemoor Patrol Man." However, real Lakemoor police wear a seven-point badge that reads "Lakemoor Patrolman."

According to the boy's mom, the man drove away in an older model station wagon with wood paneling and damage to the right front part of the wagon.

Albert is scheduled to appear at the Rolling Meadows courthouse for a bond hearing at 9 a.m. Friday.

• Daily Herald staff writer Eric Peterson contributed to this report.