Joseph Vecchio was ordered detained after prosecutors accused him of attacking his girlfriend as he separately faces possible dismissal from CPD.
CHICAGO, IL — A Chicago police officer who accumulated 76 disciplinary investigations during six years with the department is being held in jail after prosecutors accused him of beating and strangling his girlfriend inside his Northwest Side home.
Officer Joseph Vecchio, 31, surrendered to police Friday and was charged with one felony count of aggravated domestic battery, according to Chicago police and court records. A judge ordered him detained pending trial after prosecutors described an attack that they said left the woman injured and forced her to escape the apartment by climbing from a third-floor balcony to a balcony below. Vecchio has not been convicted of the charge, and the allegations remain pending in court.
The criminal case comes as Vecchio already faces possible termination from the Chicago Police Department over separate misconduct investigations. The Civilian Office of Police Accountability, known as COPA, previously found that Vecchio had accumulated more complaint investigations than any other department employee in an analysis covering records since 2019. He was relieved of his police powers in October 2025 and assigned to administrative duties, meaning he surrendered his badge and service weapon.
Prosecutors said the latest incident happened Tuesday, Aug. 18, at Vecchio’s home. They alleged that Vecchio attacked the woman while she was in bed, punching her in the head, kneeing her in the face and choking her with both hands. The woman had trouble breathing and suffered bruising and other injuries, according to court and police records. Prosecutors also alleged that Vecchio prevented her from leaving the apartment.
According to prosecutors, the woman eventually escaped when Vecchio stepped away to retrieve a food delivery. She climbed from the third-floor balcony to a balcony one floor below and sought help from a neighbor. The neighbor drove her to the Jefferson Park Police District, where she reported the alleged attack. The next day, a Cook County judge granted her an emergency order of protection and barred Vecchio from contacting her.
The arrest followed years of scrutiny over Vecchio’s police record. COPA Chief Administrator LaKenya White wrote to then-Superintendent Larry Snelling in October 2025 that Vecchio had been the subject of 76 disciplinary investigations. The allegations included improper traffic stops and searches, civil rights violations, domestic abuse complaints and accusations that he gave false information about traffic stops involving firearms. White’s analysis found that Vecchio had the highest number of complaint investigations in the department since 2019.
Many of the complaints stemmed from Vecchio’s work with the Near North District’s 1863 tactical team, whose members have faced repeated allegations involving stops and searches of drivers in downtown Chicago. Records reviewed by local news organizations show that drivers accused members of the team of conducting improper stops and searches, particularly in the Near North Side and Gold Coast. Several officers from the unit have since been relieved of their police powers. The city and officers have denied allegations of wrongdoing in several related federal civil rights lawsuits.
Vecchio also faces two disciplinary cases in which COPA recommended that he be fired. Both involve vehicle stops and allegations that official accounts of the encounters were false. In one case, investigators concluded that Vecchio submitted an official report containing inaccurate information and later made false statements under oath during a court proceeding. A Chicago Police Board member upheld COPA’s recommendation for dismissal after concluding that body-camera footage did not support the justification given for the stop and search.
In another case, COPA and the former police superintendent agreed that Vecchio should be dismissed over false information connected to an August 2024 traffic stop. Records released by the Police Board also show that 24 complaints against Vecchio have resulted in sustained findings, with recommended suspensions totaling 236 days. A separate case resulted in a 15-day suspension for failing to properly report the use of force during an encounter.
The officer’s record includes earlier domestic violence-related complaints. COPA investigated a 2020 complaint involving a woman with whom Vecchio had been in a relationship and concluded that misconduct occurred, resulting in a 15-day suspension that he later served. Records also show investigators received another domestic violence-related complaint in 2024. No criminal charges were filed in either of those earlier incidents, according to published court and police records.
Vecchio’s possible dismissal is complicated by an ongoing legal dispute over whether Chicago officers facing serious discipline may choose arbitration instead of proceedings before the Police Board. The Illinois Supreme Court is expected to hear arguments on that issue during its September term. Separately, Vecchio is scheduled to return to court Friday, Aug. 28, in the aggravated domestic battery case. He remained in custody as of Thursday.
Author note: Last updated Aug. 27, 2026.