Bellwood Officer Charged Over Alleged Leak of Confidential LEADS Records to Suspect

Prosecutors say metadata and phone records link the officer to images from the statewide LEADS system, a breach that could have undermined the River Forest shooting probe.

Overview

Cook County prosecutors charged 32-year-old Michael Davis with one felony count of official misconduct after alleging he sent LEADS images to a person under investigation.
Davis appeared in court on Saturday and was released pretrial with conditions that include surrendering his Firearm Owner’s ID card and any firearms.
Prosecutors say messages from a number tied to Davis urged the recipient to hide or sell a BMW and its plates, and included screenshots taken from the LEADS database.
Investigators say phone records and photo metadata show the images were shot about the same time they were sent and were taken at or near the Bellwood Police Department while Davis was on duty.
The shared records relate to a July 5, 2025 River Forest incident in which a BMW fled an attempted stop and shots were fired at an officer’s unmarked vehicle; the charge carries up to five years in prison and Davis’s next court date is July 21 in Maywood.