Former Vernon Hills deputy police chief charged in fake-tickets scheme

Former Vernon Hills Deputy Police Chief Patrick Zimmerman is charged with two felony counts of official misconduct after officials say an internal review found he'd falsified traffic tickets to divert more than $4,000 in state grant money to himself.

Zimmerman, 51, is also charged with two counts of misdemeanor theft.

Lake County state's attorney's office officials said in a news release Wednesday that Zimmerman illegally diverted money from the state's Sustained Traffic Enforcement Program, or STEP. STEP grant money is used by Illinois municipal police departments to compensate officers for the time they spend on traffic enforcement.

Authorities said Zimmerman issued false traffic citations that triggered payment of grant funds from the village of Vernon Hills to himself. The tickets were never submitted for processing to the village, the courts or the secretary of state, and no drivers were affected, the news release said.

Zimmerman resigned from the Vernon Hills Police Department in September 2020 after the department identified discrepancies in his grant documentation, according to the release.

Vernon Hills Police Chief Patrick L. Kreis said his department worked tirelessly to uncover the fraud and to cooperate with the Lake County state's attorney's office, Illinois Department of Transportation and village officials.

"Although we were extremely disappointed to learn of Zimmerman's alleged conduct, other members of our department deserve credit for identifying the initial discrepancies and bringing it to light," Kreis said.

Kreis said the police department has audited related activities and improved the administration of the STEP program.

Zimmerman is free on bail after paying $5,000 in cash. His arraignment is scheduled for April 5.