Judge: Lisle man impersonating Chicago cop 'danger' to community
A man arrested at least three times for impersonating a Chicago police officer, including once at age 14, appeared in court Friday on charges that he did the same crime three times this year, including once when he is accused of pulling over a vehicle and searching its occupants.
During an afternoon hearing, Cook County Assistant State's Attorney Ellen Brett outlined incidents on Jan. 14, Jan. 27 and Feb. 3 in which Vincent Richardson, wearing a full Chicago police uniform, pretended to be a sergeant.
Besides the incident in which he pulled over a vehicle in an unmarked black car, Richardson, 26, was seen searching for the source of gunfire and using his flashlight to get motorists to slow down their vehicles in the area, authorities said.
Brett told Cook County Judge Arthur Wesley Willis that Richardson, who lives in Lisle, was well known to various security guards at Chicago Housing Authority property on the city's West Side, telling them that he'd been with the police force for six years and had recently been promoted to sergeant. He later allegedly claimed to have been promoted to the department's SWAT team.
Evidence against Richardson includes videos posted on Tik Tok and Instagram in which Richardson appears to be impersonating a police officer as he fired a weapon at a shooting range - which Willis said Richardson had no legal right to do because of at least three felony convictions on the same charge.
Brett also told the judge of all the police equipment and clothing that Richardson had acquired to allegedly pull off the ruse, including a police radio, Taser, baton, utility belt and police clothing.
The judge was clearly bothered by what he heard from the prosecutor about Richardson, whose first arrest on an impersonating charge came when he was 14 after he managed to talk his way into a patrol car, spend five hours with a real officer and even helped arrest a suspect.
"Your actions show you are a danger to the community," the judge said before ordering Richardson be held in lieu of $75,000 bond.