Cop Charged In Plot To Rob Drug Dealers

By Anna Deem in News on Jul 24, 2010 6:00PM

Randy J. Caudill, 34, a Downers Grove police officer, who was charged with official misconduct, also allegedly schemed with another man of a way to improperly run license plate numbers to identify suspected drug dealers, and then steal money from them, DuPage County authorities said on Friday. Caudill was charged on Thursday for the crimes and is currently in jail on a $200,000 bail.

An eight-year veteran of the police, Caudill figured out a way to use police computers to improperly run license plate numbers and identify vehicles driven by suspected drug dealers. He then offered this information to another man to stop their vehicles, and then steal their money from them, officials said. DuPage County State's Attorney Joseph Birkett referred to the allegations against Caudill as "an isolated incident" that doesn't involve other Downers Grove police officers. "It conveys a message of zero tolerance of illegal activities," Birkett said to the Chicago Sun-Times of Caudill's arrest. Caudill faces a five-year maximum prison term if convicted.