Trial begins for Chicago police officers accused of stealing drugs, cash

CHICAGO (WLS) -- A jury has been selected and seated for the trial of two Chicago police officers who are accused of stealing drugs and cash, and then trying to cover up their crimes.

Opening statements in the trial of Sergeant Xavier Elizondo and Officer David Salgado will begin Tuesday morning at 10 a.m.

The trial comes at a time in which the Chicago Police Department is trying to improve its image and reverse decades of distrust in communities of color.

Elizondo was a CPD sergeant, and Salgado had been an officer assigned to his gang unit. Both are currently suspended without pay.

Salgado and Elizondo are on trial for allegedly stealing money, drugs and cigarettes with warrants they obtained with made up information. The charges stem from a theft of $4,200 from an Enterprise Rental Car in Chicago in 2018.

"These allegations are a disgrace," said Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson said in 2018, at the time the officers were charged. He did not hold back. "Today's charges and allegations undermine the sacred meaning of the star that each of us wear. If these allegations are proven true, they are a disgrace to everything we stand for and for that, I want my stars back."

According to the complaint, the FBI also began investigating Salgado and Elizondo when agents found out that Salgado allegedly went home while on duty to remove stolen items.