WEST CHICAGO, IL — A West Chicago police officer and an Itasca Police Officer have been accused of misusing Flock cameras for an unauthorized search.
Gerardo Solis, 39, was charged with official misconduct and computer tampering. Marisa Ciccola, 30, was charged with 13 counts of official misconduct and eight counts of computer tampering.
According to the DuPage County State's Attorney's Office, Solis "made an unauthorized, forbidden inquiry into an Illinois license plate using the Flock automated license plate recognition system." Solis is accused of making the inquiry between Dec. 18, 2024 and Jan. 15, 2025, while he was employed by the West Chicago Police Department.
Ciccola is accused of making unauthorized license plate inquiries " on multiple occasions between June 2025, and May 2026."
"It is extremely troubling when someone entrusted with upholding the law is accused of breaking it," DuPage County State's Attorney Robert Berlin said in a statement.
Berlin added, "I would like to stress however, that the charges against these two defendants are not indicative of the honest, hardworking, professional men and women of the Itasca and West Chicago Police Departments. In fact, authorities with the Itasca and West Chicago Police Departments have been extremely helpful and cooperative throughout the investigations and for that, I commend them. Automated license plate readers are a crucial component of law enforcement and use of this technology has resulted in numerous arrests and undoubtedly made our communities much safer. Misuse of this technology, however, must carry consequences and anyone who breaches the public trust in such a manner will be held accountable."
Both defendants were released on their own recognizance after turning themselves in.
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