For three years, Illinois State Police Trooper Kevin Bradley wore the badge of honor as the state’s “Top Cop,” recognized by organizations such as the Alliance Against Intoxicated Motorists and Mothers Against Drunk Driving for making more DUI arrests than any other officer in Illinois. But today, Bradley finds himself at the center of a growing storm: multiple civil rights lawsuits, internal disciplinary actions, and a chorus of critics questioning whether his aggressive pursuit of impaired drivers has crossed the line into misconduct.
It all came to a head for Sherard Holland, a Chicago restaurant executive, in the early hours of June 2, 2024. According to ABC 7’s I-Team, Holland was acting as a designated driver for a co-worker after an overnight shift when he was pulled over by Bradley in Cook County. “It was just a regular, normal day,” Holland recalled. “Doing a favor for a friend of mine, traveling to pick them up and we were going home when I unfortunately made contact with that trooper.”
The encounter, captured on dashboard camera footage and detailed in Bradley’s traffic stop report, began with Bradley claiming Holland had swerved and that he could smell alcohol in the car. Bradley directed Holland to drive to a nearby gas station in Worth Township, passing through several intersections. There, Bradley accused Holland of driving under the influence and asked him to perform field sobriety tests. Holland, calm but resolute, refused. “No, thank you,” Holland told Bradley, as heard in the footage.
Bradley arrested Holland for felony DUI and searched his vehicle before it was towed. But the story took a bizarre turn later that day when Holland noticed his MacBook was missing from the inventory slip. Assuming it was still with his car at the tow yard, he used Apple’s “Find My” feature—only to discover the laptop was pinging from a Tinley Park residence, not the tow yard. That address, it turned out, belonged to Trooper Bradley.
“I was fearful of going to retrieve my item,” Holland said. “And I just had to motivate myself and say, ‘Hey, I’m going to go get it.’” Gathering his courage, Holland drove to the address. When he knocked on the door, Bradley denied having the laptop and began to argue, Holland told the I-Team. Holland decided to call 911, and the dispatcher’s recording—obtained via a Freedom of Information Act request—captured the tense exchange. “I have an iMac that was stolen last night,” Holland told the dispatcher, referring to his MacBook. In the background, Bradley can be heard telling him to end the call. “How else would I have your address? OK, I’ll hang up. I’ll hang up,” Holland said before complying.
Shortly after, Holland’s wife, who was waiting in the car, recorded a cell phone video as Bradley emerged from the house and handed over the MacBook. Bradley then opened his garage door, showing his State Police vehicle, and claimed the laptop had been left in his squad car by accident. “It was a very traumatic interaction with him,” Holland later reflected.
Holland filed a formal complaint with the Illinois State Police. An internal investigation, the findings of which the I-Team obtained, determined that Bradley had violated department policies by failing to report the incident or document the laptop in official records. When questioned by investigators, Bradley insisted he was simply trying to help. “I kept it for his courtesy, like I said with his phone, key and wallet,” Bradley told them. “It’s my mistake. I forgot to give him his stuff back and he tracked it.” The outcome? Bradley was suspended for one day.
Holland was left feeling disillusioned. “I feel disheartened by that. I feel let down by, again, people who should be entrusted and should be held accountable for their actions,” he said. His attorney, Brandon Brown, was more blunt: “I’m outraged. Outraged as a fellow Cook County resident to think that something like that could happen. What if he didn’t call 911? What if he didn’t have the Find My iPhone application?”
After months of legal wrangling, Holland was found not guilty at a bench trial. He has since filed a lawsuit against the state and Trooper Bradley, alleging his civil rights were violated. The state and Bradley, through their attorneys, argue the lawsuit should be dismissed, citing sovereign immunity and defending the legality of the traffic stop.
Holland’s ordeal is not unique. Ian Renfro, a truck driver from Wisconsin, is also suing Bradley after a March 8, 2024, arrest at an Illinois rest stop. Renfro claims he was asleep in his truck when Bradley opened his door and accused him of DUI. “I woke up to like a hand reaching, like reaching over me,” Renfro told the I-Team. He refused field sobriety tests, maintaining his innocence throughout a two-year legal battle that cost him his commercial driving license and his business. Prosecutors eventually dropped the charges. “It ruined my life,” Renfro said. “It really did. Just to get a piece of it back today feels really good.”
Renfro’s attorney, Christopher Smith, said, “I would have done the same thing if I were Ian because of the way he [Trooper Bradley] was treating [Renfro] as a criminal.” Renfro’s experience, he said, has made him view the justice system in a new light. “It really made me look differently at the justice system in its entirety,” Renfro said.
Public defenders and civil rights attorneys have accused Bradley of using “cookie cutter” reports and repetitive techniques to fabricate probable cause for DUI arrests. According to an I-Team analysis of Cook County court records, out of 319 DUI prosecutions stemming from Bradley’s arrests since 2023, 174 cases were dismissed or resulted in not guilty verdicts. Of the 105 drivers found guilty, 96 accepted plea deals for lesser charges. As of April 2026, 40 cases remain pending.
Despite the mounting scrutiny, the Illinois State Police have defended their practices. “ISP has strong oversight of all officers and addresses any discrepancies or complaints when they are identified,” a spokesperson told the I-Team. “It would be irresponsible not to arrest and remove a person off the roads who is suspected of impaired driving. Securing convictions for DUIs in a court of law is a separate process from the role troopers and other law enforcement officers play.” The spokesperson added, “A trooper makes an arrest when there is probable cause... Ultimately, it is up to the prosecutor to determine whether they can meet the threshold of proof beyond a reasonable doubt.”
For every DUI arrest, state police troopers must appear in court—a process that can generate significant overtime. In 2024, Bradley nearly tripled his salary, earning almost $250,000, more than the Illinois State Police director, according to state records. Bradley is currently on medical leave after suffering injuries on the job and has not responded to repeated requests for comment.
As the lawsuits proceed and internal reviews continue, many are left wondering how many other drivers may have faced similar experiences. For Holland and Renfro, the impact of their encounters with Trooper Bradley lingers, a reminder of the high stakes—and sometimes high controversy—of DUI enforcement in Illinois.