Former Vernon Hills Deputy Police Chief Patrick Zimmerman, 51, pleaded guilty Aug. 17, 2021 to charges of theft after he used a state grant program to make money writing fake traffic tickets. (Pioneer Press file)

       A former Vernon Hills deputy police chief pleaded guilty in Lake County court to charges of theft Tuesday, and apologized to his family and the village for his actions.

       As part of a plea deal, Patrick Zimmerman, 51, pleaded guilty to misdemeanor theft tied to falsifying records to obtain money for work he did not perform. The theft was related to a traffic enforcement program, known as “STEP,” administered by the Illinois Department of Transportation, according to a news release from the Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office.

       Zimmerman could have faced up to a year in jail, according to authorities. But with the plea deal, the release states, he will pay restitution, do community service and serve more than a year on probation.

       The theft was part of the Sustained Traffic Enforcement Program, which compensates officers for traffic enforcement. The program is run through IDOT. Officials estimate Zimmerman received more than $4,000 from the grant program through writing fake traffic tickets. He had also been charged with felony misconduct in connection with the alleged ticket scheme, but those charges were dropped as part of the plea deal.

       “We feel that this resolution takes into account former Deputy Chief Zimmerman’s years of service to our community, but also holds him accountable for violating the public trust,” State’s Attorney Eric Rinehart said in the release about the negotiated plea.

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       With the guilty plea, Zimmerman will have to pay back $4,365.29 to Vernon Hills in restitution, complete 50 public service hours and serve 18 months of non-reporting probation, also known as conditional discharge, the release states.

       “The taxpayers will be reimbursed under this plea agreement, and former officer Zimmerman will have a criminal conviction on his record,” Rinehart stated. “He will no longer be able to serve as a police officer in the State of Illinois because of this plea.

       Neither Zimmerman nor his attorney could be immediately reached for comment.

       Zimmerman, who had been a police officer for 26 years, resigned from the Vernon Hills Police Department in September 2020 after department officials discovered discrepancy in his grant documents.

       After an investigation involving multiple agencies, Zimmerman was indicted in March on felony charges of official misconduct and theft, each of which occurred twice on separate occasions between October 2019 and August 2020, according the grand jury indictment.

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       Though Zimmerman wrote fake traffic tickets, officials noted that he never submitted them to the clerk’s or municipal offices for enforcement or collection, so no motorists were directly impacted by his actions. He submitted them to STEP and pocketed the grant money.

       Vernon Hills police Chief Patrick Kreis said in the release that after a further investigation into the department, as a whole, regarding STEP, there was no other misconduct found. However, the chief said improved oversight measures are still being added.

       “We believe that traffic enforcement measures through the STEP program are important in keeping our roads safe,” Kreis said in the release.

       Officials also noted Zimmerman’s case was not the first time an officer was found guilty of using the STEP program illegally. Former Des Plaines police Commander Timothy Veit was found guilty in 2013 of improperly receiving funds through the program by padding DUI arrests.

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