NORTH SIDE OFFICERS ACCUSED OF ILLEGAL SEARCH, COVER-UP

New federal charges were filed Tuesday against three Chicago police
officers already accused in a lawsuit of illegally searching the homes of
suspected drug dealers and lying on police reports to cover their tracks.

The indictment names Foster District officers Xavier Castro, 52, Matthew
Craig, 39, and Robert Gloeckler, 38, who were charged with illegally
searching a home in the 4600 block of North Sheridan without a warrant in
February 1996, authorities said. Castro and Craig allegedly conducted a
similar raid in the 2400 block of North Kostner in November 1996, in which
they seized cocaine.

In both cases, they allegedly filed false reports to cover up that they
were outside their district without approval, the indictment says.

All three also are charged with lying to a grand jury about arrests they made.

A 1997 civil rights lawsuit contradicted the officers' claims that they saw
two men conducting a drug deal in the 5400 block of North Lincoln and
raided the address. The suit alleged the officers didn't have a warrant and
were miles from the apartment. In fact, one suspect was equipped with an
electronic monitoring device that proved he was five miles away.

Only Castro was named in a federal indictment filed in February in that case.