Robert Wald | Cook County Sheriff's Office
CHICAGO - A former Chicago Heights police officer is behind bars after being charged with distributing child sex abuse material.
What we know:
Robert Wald, 61, was booked into Cook County Jail on Sept. 4 on charges involving the possession and dissemination of child sexual abuse material.
The investigation began in January 2026, when investigators with the Cook County Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force received a CyberTip from Kik, a social media messaging application that allows users to share files.
According to a court proffer, Kik reported an account that had sent files containing child sexual abuse material to other users. Kik also provided investigators with information about the account and IP addresses associated with the uploaded files.
A search warrant served on Kik allegedly identified at least three files containing child sexual abuse material. Investigators also found chat conversations in which the account allegedly communicated with users who represented themselves as minors.
According to the proffer, the account allegedly instructed a minor on how to masturbate, asked the minor for videos and offered to buy the minor sex toys. Investigators also allege the account told another user that he preferred child sexual abuse material depicting girls between the ages of 10 and 14.
Investigators then obtained a search warrant for information connected to the IP address used to upload the files. According to the proffer, AT&T records showed the IP address resolved to a Chicago Heights residence and listed Wald as the account owner.
A search of law enforcement records showed Wald previously worked for the Chicago Heights Police Department. He worked there for more than 20 years, according to the proffer.
Wald is also currently an active member of the Prairie State College Police Department, where he began working in February 2019, according to the Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board.
Search of Wald's home
On Sept. 2, investigators executed a residential search warrant at Wald's Chicago Heights home, according to the proffer.
Wald was present when investigators arrived. His Samsung phone and a flash drive located near his desktop computer were seized.
According to the court proffer, Wald was advised of his Miranda rights and made several admissions to investigators.
He allegedly acknowledged owning the reported Kik account and told investigators he had a problem with viewing child sexual abuse material.
Wald also allegedly admitted to frequently engaging in sexualized chats online with people representing themselves as minors.
According to the proffer, Wald told investigators he had received child sexual abuse material on Telegram the morning the search warrant was executed. He also allegedly said there would be child sexual abuse material on the flash drive near his computer.
Wald additionally told investigators he works as a school resource officer at Rise, an alternative school serving junior high and high school-aged students, according to the proffer.
A forensic extraction of Wald's Samsung phone later revealed more than 75 files of child sexual abuse material, according to the court document.
Law enforcement background cited in detention decision
Dig deeper:
Wald's more than 20 years of law enforcement experience was also considered by the judge in determining whether he should be released before trial.
According to court documents, the judge found Wald's experience with investigative techniques and knowledge of law enforcement could increase the risk that he could avoid detection.
The judge ultimately determined that detention rather than pretrial release was appropriate, and Wald remains in custody.
What's next:
Wald's next court appearance is scheduled for Sept. 25.
The Source: The information in this report came from Cook County court documents and the sheriff's office.