Chicago — Prosecutors on Tuesday accused a newly-retired Chicago cop of successfully contesting dozens of traffic tickets since 2009 by falsely reporting that his girlfriend had stolen his car 44 different times.
But a review of city ticketing records by CWB Chicago found that Jeffrey Kriv actually won the dismissal of 70 tickets during those years while paying just 10 tickets.
Officials said Kriv retired from the force on January 20, days after he was stripped of his police powers due to the investigation into the ticket scam allegations.
The 70 dismissed tickets include red light violations, speed violations, and a variety of parking infractions, according to city ticketing records. Kriv didn’t pay any tickets between October 2019 and October 2022 while winning 16 dismissals, records show. The city’s data does not provide reasons for ticket dismissals.
In one alleged violation, Kriv’s BMW took a leisurely left-hand turn on red in the Loop on May 14, 2020. Here’s the city’s video:
That ticket was dismissed, according to the city.
His most recent ticket dismissal is for this speed camera violation in the 4900 block of North Cicero on June 12. According to the city, Kriv’s car traveled 54 mph in a park zone. Watch:
Kriv won a dismissal of another speed camera ticket from the same location in 2018. The city records show his car was zipping along at 50 mph that time:
Other dismissed tickets include failure to attach a front plate, parking too close to a stop sign, expired meter, and, ironically, parking in a police-only zone.
The city’s records, which go back to November 2008, show he paid for four tickets before winning his first dismissal for a November 2009 red light violation. In 2010, Kriv paid one ticket and won dismissals for three others.
Then, from 2012 through 2022, he paid just five tickets while all others were dismissed, according to the city’s data.
His car currently has one ticket outstanding, a speed camera ticket issued on January 14, four days after he was stripped of his police powers.
Kriv is criminally charged with crimes in just four of the 44 cases that prosecutors publicly linked to false reports on Tuesday. Since 2009, he avoided paying $3,665 by claiming that his girlfriend had stolen his car on the dates in question, prosecutors said. In the four cases he is charged with, he allegedly avoided paying $330.
He made $111,966 in base pay and $34,730.16 in overtime pay in 2021, according to city records.