Waukegan officer charged with five felony counts over alleged misuse of police databases and plate readers

First reported: October 21, 2026 · 3 sources

Waukegan police officer Oscar Magpali has been charged with five counts of official misconduct, each a Class 3 felony, after investigators alleged he misused law-enforcement databases and automated license plate reader systems. An initial review reportedly found numerous searches of vehicles registered to Waukegan Police Department employees and people connected to them. Magpali was placed on administrative leave and is scheduled to appear in court on November 3; the allegations have not been tested in court. The department has also opened a wider audit of officers' database use, which remains ongoing.

Why this matters

The case shows that misuse of ALPR and criminal-justice databases is often detected only through audits after the fact, raising questions about what routine oversight exists for systems that log searches of ordinary drivers.

Key facts

Officer Oscar Magpali faces five counts of official misconduct, each a Class 3 felony; he is due in court November 3.
Investigators reviewed electronic and departmental records, witness interviews, and activity in the Illinois LEADS system and the National Crime Information Center.
The Waukegan Police Department notified the Lake County State's Attorney's Office and ran the probe through its Criminal Investigations Division.
Lake County State's Attorney Eric Rinehart said officers are trained not to use LEADS for personal reasons and that violations will carry consequences.
A department-wide audit of database use is still underway because of the volume of records involved; the department has not detailed what the searches were used for.

Timeline

October 21, 2026Waukegan Police Officer Charged in Database Misuse Case
October 21, 2026Waukegan police officer charged with misusing Flock camera system
October 20, 2026Waukegan officer charged, allegedly misused license plate readers, other police databases

Sources

This summary was written from the published reporting below and links to it; BlockFlockNow does not reproduce article text.

Waukegan Police Officer Charged in Database Misuse Case (Hoodline, October 21, 2026)
Waukegan police officer charged with misusing Flock camera system (CBS News, October 21, 2026)
Waukegan officer charged, allegedly misused license plate readers, other police databases (Shaw Local, October 20, 2026)

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About this record

BlockFlockNow documents reported incidents involving Flock Safety cameras and automated license plate readers: council votes, contract decisions, misuse by authorized users, lawsuits, audits, and community response. Every record is reviewed by a person before publication. New to the topic? Start with What is Flock?, find meetings near you, or learn how to request your town's camera records.

Updated October 22, 2026. Corrections: blockflock@bytebunny.io. See all documented incidents or search the full article archive.