Former Orland Park officers sue village, alleging retaliation and wrongful termination

ORLAND PARK, Ill. - Two former Orland Park police officers have filed federal lawsuits against the village, alleging retaliation, wrongful termination, and, in one case, wrongful arrest.

Two Former Officers Sue Village of Orland Park  

What we know:

The lawsuit claims the Orland Park Police Department denied former Sgt. William Sanchez a promotion to lieutenant due to "apparent race discrimination."

Sanchez reported his concerns to Police Chief Eric Rossi and human resources and filed discrimination complaints with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the Illinois Department of Human Rights.

As retaliation, the department fired Sanchez, the lawsuit alleges.

Sanchez worked for the department for more than 19 years and was on track for promotion to lieutenant, according to the lawsuit.

Dig deeper:

Sanchez’s lawsuit also claims he witnessed "troubling race-based incidents" within the department.

One incident involved a colleague who was promoted despite being photographed in blackface, according to the lawsuit. Another officer was hired after allegedly making racist remarks about a Black arrestee.

Following an investigation that was described as a "sham" in the lawsuit, Orland Park fired Sanchez for "making discrimination complaints the Village considered ‘unfounded,'" according to prosecutors. 

However, a neutral arbitrator recently found the village lacked good cause to fire Sanchez.

What they're saying:

"This is a rare employment retaliation case where the employer actually admitted they terminated someone—in this case, Sergeant Sanchez, a 19-year veteran of the department—for participating in protected activity," said attorney Justin Tresnowski, of Hughes Socol Piers Resnick, & Dym, Ltd, who represents both plaintiffs. "Sergeant Sanchez deserves to get his job back, and for Orland Park to take meaningful steps to make sure no one else has to fear for their jobs just because they voice their concerns about potential race discrimination within the police department."

In a separate case, former Orland Park police Sgt. Kenneth Kovac allegedly created a parody Facebook page of former Deputy Police Chief Brian West.

West attempted to shut the page down and enlisted high-ranking officers to investigate, arrest and charge Kovac with false personation and disorderly conduct. He faced up to one year in jail.

A Cook County Circuit judge dismissed the charges nine months later.

"Sergeant Sanchez’s retaliatory termination for complaining about discrimination and Mr. Kovac’s arrest and prosecution for non-threatening parody posts online were patently illegal abuses of power," said Tresnowski.  "In both cases, leaders of the Orland Park Police Department acted as though they were above the law–using their positions of authority to seek retribution against individuals simply because they did not like what those individuals said. Even more troubling, Village leadership has continued to condone–and even celebrate–this abuse of power. Mr. Kovac and Sergeant Sanchez deserve justice, and the Village must be held accountable."

Village Responds to Lawsuits:

The Village of Orland Park issued a response to the lawsuits on Thursday afternoon.

"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.

"The Village is committed to maintaining a fair and inclusive workplace, upholding the highest professional standards in our employment and law enforcement practices, and ensuring that all employees are treated with respect and in accordance with the law. We will address these claims through the legal process and remain confident that the Village has acted lawfully and appropriately in these matters.

"As this process unfolds, our priority remains serving the community and supporting the dedicated professionals who work to uphold public safety in our Village."

What's next:

For more information, follow these links to read the complaints: Kovac and Sanchez.