A former police officer who worked in south suburban Robbins and Dixmoor is expected in court Saturday, accused of possessing and viewing child pornography, officials said.
Tory Bridgeforth, 37 and of Chicago Heights, has been charged with possession of child pornography videos of victims under 13, possession of child pornography videos of victims under 18, and possession of child pornography images of victims under 18, a statement from the Cook County sheriff’s office said.
Bridgeforth told police he used his cellphone to view child pornography and when investigators examined his phone, there were more than 35 sexually explicit images and videos of children as young as 8, the statement said.
Bridgeforth worked for the Dixmoor Police Department from 2021 to 2022 and the Robbins Police Department in 2019, according to the statement.
The charges stem from a probe by the Cook County Sheriff’s Police Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) unit, that received a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, which found the materials on an email account. After executing search warrants, they found the email belonged to Bridgeforth, the statement said.
Bridgeforth, who could not be reached for comment Friday evening, is due in court at the Leighton Criminal Courthouse on Saturday.
