STORY YOUMISSED
Chicago Police Officer Alberto Rodriguez faces termination after the Civilian Office of Police Accountability found he sexually assaulted a young woman on multiple occasions, held her against her will, and used CPD databases to access his own sexual assault case report. Both COPA and the Superintendent agreed he should be fired.
Both COPA and Superintendent Larry Snelling agreed on the same outcome.
Fire him.
How It Started
Officer Alberto Rodriguez met the young woman at her 18th birthday party in July 2018.
He was a Chicago Police officer. She was 18.
He knew her brother through a Mixed Martial Arts gym where they both trained.
He began following her on social media and commenting on her photos.
By early 2019, they had begun seeing each other.
From the beginning, Rodriguez used his position as a police officer to control her.
When she did not want to do what he asked, he would bring up her brother’s legal troubles.
He would often imply that, as a police officer, he could affect the outcome of legal issues
by saying things such as, “You know, like open cases are easy to influence,” “I know a police
officer,” and “Like, I can have a lot of leeway in situations like that.”
August 5, 2019
She was 19 years old. She was preparing to leave for a three-week trip to Mexico.
She had dinner with Rodriguez that evening. Afterward, they went to his apartment.
When she told him she wanted to leave, he pushed her against a wall and took her car keys.
He pushed her into his bedroom. He sexually assaulted her.
While he was assaulting her, he said words to the effect of, “It’s fine, it hurts now, but you’re going to get used to it.”
He applied pressure to her throat, restricting her airway.
She told him to stop. He did not stop.
Afterward, Rodriguez drove her car to the airport, keeping her keys. He later texted her claiming he had run red lights in her car and gotten tickets.
August 23, 2019
She returned from Mexico in the early hours of August 23, 2019.
Later that day, Rodriguez picked her up to return her car.
He took her back to his apartment first.
He sexually assaulted her again.
Afterward, they went to dinner at a restaurant on West Division Street where Rodriguez ordered eight alcoholic drinks over the course of the meal.
When she did not want to finish a drink, he placed his hand near his holstered firearm and said, “Don’t waste my money. That’s not cool.”
She later told COPA she had no memory of leaving the restaurant or arriving at his apartment.
She woke up with Rodriguez on top of her, assaulting her again.
She told him to stop. He did not stop.
When she was able, she called her mother, crying. Rodriguez yelled at her. He took her phone and turned it off.
Her mother called back. Her best friend called. She could not answer.
When police arrived outside, Rodriguez told her the cops were his people and that he did not have to let them in.
He pushed her face. Her nose ring was torn out, and she began to bleed.
He told her to get dressed. He held her in the apartment until officers gained entry through a key from his father, who lived downstairs.
When officers found her, she told them she was fine. She was afraid the officers would take Rodriguez’s side because he was a Chicago Police officer.
She went to the police station. She still said nothing.
Later that night at the hospital, she told a nurse that Rodriguez had hurt her and raped her.
A sexual assault kit was collected. Medical records documented bruising on her left arm, left thigh, and both lower legs.
Her blood alcohol concentration at the hospital was 0.224.
He Read His Own Case Report
After the incident, Rodriguez used his Chicago Police Department Caboodle database access to look up crimes reported near his home.
He saw a symbol on the map indicating a sexual crime at his address.
He clicked on it.
He read the case report in which he was named as the offender for the August 23, 2019 sexual assault.
He had no job-related reason to access that report.
He accessed it anyway.
COPA sustained the allegation of unauthorized use of CPD databases.
He Lied to Investigators
When Rodriguez gave his statement to COPA in May 2022, he claimed he did not know the young woman was under 21 years old when they were together.
COPA found that claim not credible.
Instagram records showed Rodriguez had received an invitation to her 18th birthday party clearly labeled as such.
Instagram messages between the two explicitly referenced him waiting until she reached the age of consent.
COPA found Rodriguez willfully made false statements to avoid accountability.
What COPA Found
In its Final Summary Report, COPA sustained 16 of 21 allegations against Rodriguez.
COPA found Rodriguez sexually assaulted the young woman on multiple occasions. Held her against her will. Provided alcohol to a minor. Accessed CPD databases for unauthorized personal purposes. Made false statements to investigators.
COPA recommended Rodriguez be separated from the Chicago Police Department.
What the Superintendent Decided
Former Superintendent Larry Snelling reviewed COPA’s findings and concurred with 14 of the sustained allegations and with the recommendation for separation.
Five minor allegations were dropped in a settlement between COPA and CPD.
All core findings, including the sexual assault findings, remain sustained.
The city is seeking to fire Rodriguez.
Two Other Officers Suspended
Officers Uriel Padilla and Eugene Vann, who responded to Rodriguez’s apartment on August 23, 2019, both deactivated their body-worn cameras while still engaged in law enforcement activity inside the apartment.
COPA sustained allegations against both officers for the early deactivation.
Officer Padilla received a violation noted.
Officer Vann received a written reprimand.
What Termination Means
Separation means termination from the Chicago Police Department.
If imposed, Rodriguez would be permanently barred from serving as a Chicago Police officer.
The final decision on his employment will be determined through the department’s disciplinary process.
Source: Civilian Office of Police Accountability Log 2019-0003402 Final Summary Report Superintendent Concurrence and Supplemental Final Summary Report released September 2026
