An Illinois State Police trooper who was recognized as the state’s top officer for driving under the influence arrests has been on medical leave for more than six months after defense attorneys accused him of systematically fabricating evidence to increase arrest numbers and earn overtime pay, according to a May 28 report.
Trooper Kevin Bradley, who received “top cop” honors from the Alliance Against Intoxicated Motorists in 2022, 2023, and 2024 for leading the state in DUI arrests, faces allegations that he made arrests without probable cause and later justified them with similar field reports. One case at the center of these accusations involves Raymond Theus, whose charges were dismissed last month but resulted in job loss and ongoing difficulty finding employment due to a lingering record notation.
Court documents show that Bradley’s arrest reports often contained identical language across different cases. In one instance cited in court filings, Bradley described conducting a sobriety test that was refused by the arrestee; under oath, he admitted this was an error but did not address whether information had been copied between reports. His disciplinary history includes taking property from an arrestee’s vehicle for supposed safekeeping and transporting an intoxicated woman at high speed after her boyfriend’s arrest.
Bradley accrued nearly $250,000 in overtime pay in 2024 alone—more than double his base salary—and was projected to exceed $270,000 before going on medical leave following a squad car accident. According to Andrew Segal, assistant public defender representing Theus, “One would assume … there would be some material safeguards. But maybe the ISP brass sees a trooper who’s increasing his DUI totals year after year after year… And if it comes at the cost of the civil rights of drivers like Mr. Theus, so what? It’s good for us.”
Since Bradley’s absence from court proceedings due to medical leave has left prosecutors without their key witness in many cases relying heavily on officer testimony rather than physical evidence such as breathalyzer results, some DUI prosecutions have been dismissed on procedural grounds. Prosecutors said no prior judge had found Bradley dishonest even when defendants were acquitted; all individuals arrested by him who took breathalyzer tests blew over zero percent blood alcohol content during 2024.
The Illinois State Police declined to comment about possible internal investigations or provide a timeline for Bradley’s return from medical leave. Melanie Arnold, spokesperson for Illinois State Police, said: “ISP prides itself on integrity, respect and fairness… ISP has strong oversight of all officers and addresses any discrepancies or complaints when they are identified.”
A separate civil lawsuit is pending against Bradley regarding another allegedly false DUI arrest that led to significant personal consequences for another driver.
