Chicago Officer Joseph Vecchio Faces Firing After Tactical Team Stop Cases

Police Board weighs discipline over Near North tactical team traffic stops

CHICAGO — Chicago police Officer Joseph Vecchio, who has drawn more complaints than any other officer in the department in recent years, faces dismissal in two disciplinary cases connected to alleged improper traffic stops by a downtown tactical unit, according to decisions announced by the Chicago Police Board on Thursday.

Vecchio was one of three officers from the Near North District's 1863 tactical team whose disciplinary disputes were considered by the board. The cases stem from wider allegations that members of the unit repeatedly made traffic stops and searches without adequate legal justification. Vecchio also received a 15-day suspension in a separate case, while other officers assigned to the team were handed substantial suspensions.

The proceedings add to scrutiny of Vecchio's record after he was stripped of his police powers late last year. In an Oct. 6, 2025 letter to then-Supt. Larry Snelling, Civilian Office of Police Accountability Chief LaKenya White said an internal review of complaint data dating to 2019 found Vecchio had the highest number of log-number investigations in the Chicago Police Department.

White said many of the complaints remained under investigation but described the volume of allegations involving Vecchio as a reason for immediate intervention by the department. An attorney for Vecchio could not immediately be reached for comment.

Body-camera footage contradicted officers' account, board member says

One dismissal case arose from a Christmas 2024 encounter involving a BMW parked in a loading zone with its hazard lights activated. Vecchio and another tactical officer approached the vehicle and ordered the passenger to provide identification, according to the Police Board's ruling.

After checking the passenger's license, Vecchio learned the man had a state firearm owner license but did not hold a license permitting public concealed carry. Officers ordered him from the BMW, searched the vehicle and found a firearm in the center console, the ruling said.

In arrest paperwork, however, Vecchio and his fellow officer reported that they had seen the passenger remove an L-shaped object from his waistband and move toward the center console. They cited that alleged movement as the reason for the search. Vecchio later repeated the account during a preliminary hearing in the related criminal case, which Cook County prosecutors ultimately dropped.

Police Board member Arlette Porter concluded that body-worn camera footage did not support the officers' explanation. She wrote that the video showed there was “no reasonable articulable suspicion” that the passenger had been engaged in criminal conduct when the officers initiated the stop.

Porter characterized Vecchio's statements in reports and court testimony as intentional inaccuracies and said they violated Chicago Police Department rules on honesty and accountability. Snelling opposed discipline in that case, but the board overruled him and adopted COPA's recommendation that Vecchio be fired.

Second dismissal case remains part of broader misconduct findings

Vecchio faces a second proposed dismissal tied to another similar traffic stop involving the 1863 tactical team. In that matter, Snelling supported COPA's recommendation to fire Vecchio but disagreed with the agency's proposed discipline for Vecchio's partner.

The cases underscore the significance of body-camera evidence and truthful reporting in police stops, particularly when officers cite claimed safety concerns to justify searches. The Police Board's actions leave Vecchio facing termination in two cases, while disciplinary proceedings involving the tactical team remain under review.