Man gets prison for playing firefighter

A River Grove man was sentenced to 21/2 years in prison Friday after pleading guilty to impersonating a firefighter.

Lake County Circuit Judge John Phillips also made Robert Rozycki, 32, surrender a car outfitted like an unmarked emergency vehicle, and emergency services equipment worth thousands of dollars.

Assistant State's Attorney Steven DeRue said Island Lake police stopped Rozycki's late-model Ford Crown Victoria around 7 p.m. on March 8 because it had expired license plates.

DeRue said the car's center console was equipped with police radios that could receive and transmit, and are not available to the general public. A police gun belt, several police and fire department patches and a Maywood Police sergeant's badge were also found in the car.

Rozycki was wearing a Chicago Police cap and protective vest at the time, and had a portable police radio clipped to his belt.

The Island Lake officer asked to see Rozycki's identification, and a woman in the car told the officer Rozycki told her he was a member of the Chicago Fire Department's bomb and arson squad.

Officials could not confirm that connection, and Rozycki was arrested.

DeRue said Rozycki spent a year in prison after a 1995 conviction for impersonating a police officer, and has numerous other arrests for similar offenses.

As part of his plea negotiation, Rozycki also agreed to surrender numerous police radios, scanners, uniform items, emergency lights, fake weapons, flashlights and other material.

DeRue said the car seized from Rozycki was outfitted so completely it would be ready to go into service as a real police car with only minor modifications.