2 former Orland Park police officers sue village for alleged wrongful termination, wrongful arrest
Two former Orland Park police officers are suing the southwest suburb for alleged wrongful termination and wrongful arrest.
The suit, which was filed in the U.S. District Court for Northern Illinois against the Village of Orland Park, alleges the department has a "culture of self-protection and stifling of dissent" that directly led to one officer's firing and another's wrongful arrest.
In the first instance, the lawsuit alleges former sergeant William Sanchez was denied a promotion to lieutenant by apparent racial discrimination. When he complained to the chief, the Orland Park human resources department and filed discrimination charged with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and Illinois Department of Human Rights, he was fired, the lawsuit says.
The lawsuit claims that after a "sham" investigation, the Village of Orland Park fired Sanchez, a 19-year veteran of the force, for making discrimination complaints they considered "unfounded." According to the lawsuit, an arbitrator recently determined the village lacked good cause for the termination.
In the second instance, the lawsuit details how former Sgt. Kenneth Kovac was arrested after making a Facebook page parodying the department's then-deputy chief. The lawsuit alleges that the former deputy chief worked to get the page shut down and "enlisted other high-ranking officers to investigate, arrest, and criminally charge Kovac for false personation and disorderly conduct." As a result, he faced up to a year in prison.
Both charges were dismissed by a Cook County Circuit Court judge nine months later, according to the lawsuit.
The Village of Orland Park released a statement, saying in part, "The Village has been made aware of lawsuits filed by two former police officers and takes all legal matters seriously. While we cannot discuss the specifics of ongoing litigation, we want to make clear that the Village stands by its actions and those of its employees and remains confident that they were appropriate and fully compliant with the law."
