In a twist worthy of a sports drama, former University of Illinois quarterback Christopher Pazan, who traded his football jersey for a police badge, now finds himself in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons. The 41-year-old, now a Chicago police officer, has swapped his role from tackling criminals to being on the bench of the accused. Allegations have surfaced against Pazan, accusing him of attempting to swipe around $300 worth of baseball cards from a local store.
The bizarre episode unfolded at the Meijer store located on South Western Avenue in Evergreen Park, where Pazan was reportedly spotted by a security guard on surveillance footage. The footage allegedly shows him engaging in a rather brazen attempt to sneak the baseball cards into a yard waste bag. When it was time to pay the piper—or cashier, in this case—Pazan allegedly fulfilled only half the transaction. Though he paid for the yard waste bag, he allegedly sauntered out without settling the score for the cards it contained.
As he navigates these choppy legal waters, Pazan finds himself stripped of his police duties, pending an internal investigation by the Chicago Police Department. Formerly assigned to the Morgan Park District and detailed to the central investigations division, his jacket now bears an ironic twist for the man who once probed cases of arson, vehicle theft, and financial crimes.
Efforts to contact Pazan’s attorney turned up dry leads, and attempts to fetch a comment from the man himself, akin to a tight pass through a defensive line, proved unsuccessful.
Pazan’s journey thus far is one of remarkable transitions. His early athletic prowess was nurtured at Brother Rice High School in Mount Greenwood, where he was a standout quarterback earning All-American honors. His skills on the gridiron carried him to the University of Illinois, where he occasionally commanded the offense from under center, based on his university biography. Yet, the winds shifted, and he later tried his hand at coaching, working at Illinois and St. Joseph’s College before trading touchdowns for the taut blue line of law enforcement.
A 2015 interview with the Chicago Tribune sheds light on his pivot to policing, revealing a man motivated by a call to serve differently. “I wanted something more,” Pazan mentioned, referencing a desire to contribute beyond the sidelines and into the heart of public service. Further painting a picture of his commitment to the force, he also took to the field competing in a police football league with the Chicago Enforcers, a team of law officers—surely a place where his dual passions of sport and service intersected.
Financial stability, however, appears to be elusive for the once-college quarterback. Despite an annual salary of $111,804, exclusive of overtime—a figure that many would consider robust—Pazan has been wrangling with financial hardships. Records indicate he’s neck-deep in divorce proceedings, coincidentally slated for a court hearing on the very day of his arrest. His former attorney, Tania K. Harvey, filed a motion requesting the court to mandate Pazan to pay accumulated fees, a tally cresting over $5,800.
His current legal team notes that Pazan is in the process of refinancing his Beverly home, a bid to stabilize the finances possibly looming as large as his shadow since previous court documents narrate his financial travails—ranging from an unresolved loan with Fifth Third Bank, where attempts of collection fizzled, to a noteworthy settlement with JPMorgan Chase prompted by a $15,000 lawsuit.
It’s notable that applicants intending to join the police force undergo a thorough financial vetting to prevent vulnerability to corruption under the city hiring guidelines. By today’s standards or any other, financial duress doesn’t bode well for those entrusted with public safety.
Pazan now faces a misdemeanor charge of retail theft. His court debut in the unfolding legal drama is slated for June 23 in Bridgeview. While the saga surrounding him thickens with legal intricacies, what remains clear is that this tale where sports, service, and a steep descent into alleged misconduct intersect is far from its denouement. The next chapters promise a continuation of courtroom plays and societal reckonings that will shape the future narrative of a man whose life has been a series of unexpected twists.
