Top Chicago police officials on Friday, May 22, 2026, signed off on suspensions totaling 72 days for four officers after internal investigators and the city’s police watchdog concluded they improperly searched and detained people during an Aug. 11, 2024, traffic stop near Division and Sedgwick in the Near North neighborhood. The penalties close one of several probes into members of the 18th District tactical team and follow a COPA warning that the unit’s stops disproportionately targeted Black drivers.
According to WTTW News, the Civilian Office of Police Accountability found the officers violated the civil rights of three people during the Aug. 11 stop. Police leaders agreed to suspensions that add up to 72 days: Sgt. Erick Seng, 25 days; Officers Richard Rodriguez and Joseph Vecchio, 20 days each; and Officer Crystina Kittrell, 7 days. The WTTW report notes Seng had already been disciplined earlier this year and that Vecchio and Rodriguez have been stripped of their police powers amid the broader investigation.
Reporting by ABC7 Chicago states that COPA warned in a Dec. 27, 2024 letter it had received more than 50 complaints about one tactical team and found that more than 90 percent of the stops it reviewed involved Black people, even though Black residents make up roughly 6 percent of the district’s population. The memo flagged a pattern of “pretextual” stops, failures to document encounters and unprofessional conduct, and urged commanders to ensure officers follow department policy.
The investigation into the Aug. 11 stop found that the driver and one passenger told officers they were legally armed with Firearm Owners Identification cards and concealed carry licenses, yet officers ordered the occupants out of the car, searched the vehicle and passengers, and handcuffed one person who “posed no threat.” WTTW News reports that body worn camera footage did not show any drugs seized, that no one was cited or arrested during the encounter, and that Sgt. Seng failed to activate his camera as required.
Legal and oversight context
The discipline comes against a backdrop of court-ordered reform. The federal consent decree overseeing CPD requires better supervision, camera compliance and closer scrutiny of traffic stop practices, and monitors have urged faster implementation of oversight tools. Court filings in cases such as Hendrick v. City of Chicago and other civil suits name members of the tactical team and press Monell-style claims against the city, while COPA’s final summary reports lay out the factual findings plaintiffs are relying on. Documents such as the Independent Monitor’s assessment and COPA’s public final reports provide the public record for those oversight and legal arguments; see the Independent Monitor report and COPA’s final summary reports.
Advocates and aldermen say the case underscores the need for the city’s promised early-warning system so supervisors can flag repeat problem behavior earlier and avoid costly litigation. Reporting has shown the rollout of that tool, often called the Officer Support System, has lagged, leaving watchdogs and some city officials calling for faster action. Stalled implementation and the political pressure to fix it have been tracked by Hoodline and other outlets.
