By Carlos Sadovi and Liam Ford
Chicago Tribune
CHICAGO — A Chicago police officer has been placed on desk duty after Skokie police ran across his personal Ford Police Interceptor in a mall parking lot and saw it “closely resembled an unmarked police car,” an apparent violation of Chicago police rules and possibly of state law.
The 2014 Ford belonging to the officer, Derek Saxton, 35, of the Northwest Side, was photographed by Skokie police about 1:15 p.m. on Jan. 7 in a parking lot near the AMC Showplace Village Crossing theaters, 7000 N. Carpenter Road, in the north suburb, according to an internal bulletin issued by Skokie police.
Saxton’s ownership of the car raised a red flag with Skokie police because he had previously been arrested in 2007—before he joined the Chicago Police Department—on a misdemeanor charge of having illegal flashing, oscillating or amber lights on his vehicle, according to the bulletin.
When Skokie police informed Chicago police last week about Saxton’s current car and raised questions about his 2007 arrest, Saxton was placed on desk duty in his district, pending an internal affairs investigation, said Chicago police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi, in an email. Chicago police officers aren’t allowed to use private cars outfitted with police-style emergency equipment, Guglielmi said in the email.
Saxton had been arrested about 9:30 p.m. on July 23, 2007, in the 5200 block of North Miltimore Avenue, according to court and police records. He was driving a black Ford Crown Victoria with red flashing lights and was stopped because the car resembled one “associated with a police impersonator,” according to the bulletin.
Saxton told officers he added the red lights because he thought police cars “looked cool,” according to the bulletin.
The charge was later dropped, according to court records.
Saxton joined the Chicago police force in 2012.
After Chicago police were informed about the 2014 Ford, “the superintendent ordered an immediate internal affairs investigation into the hiring practices, the 2007 arrest and his use of both” the 2014 Ford and the Crown Victoria he was driving when he was arrested in 2007, Guglielmi said in the email.
Saxton’s current car raised suspicion because it has lights mounted in the front and rear windows, as well as a spotlight on its driver’s side, a siren and light control box and front doors labelled as having “ballistic panels,” according to the Skokie bulletin.
Using such a car would require “special authorization by the superintendent of police. No such circumstances exist here in Chicago and all officers must use department-owned, rented or leased vehicles when conducting official law enforcement duties or department business,” Guglielmi said.
Saxton did not immediately respond to a request for comment Sunday evening.
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