Orland Park police scandal: Retired sergeant accused of harassment, impersonation of deputy chief

ORLAND PARK, Ill. - A retired police sergeant in Orland Park is facing criminal charges after he allegedly harassed the current deputy chief of police.

Ken Kovac is charged with disorderly conduct, a Class C misdemeanor, and false personation, a Class A misdemeanor, after surrendering himself to Orland Park Police Headquarters following allegations of him impersonating Deputy Chief Brian West on social media.

Kovac served as a police sergeant for the village from June 1, 1998, until he retired on March 22, 2019. He then became employed by another government agency.

According to village officials, Kovac created two Facebook pages that impersonated West, where he, "misused personal photographs, engaged in activities that misrepresented West's identity, and used an offset of the last name of Deputy Chief West."

The fake Facebook pages used personal photos of West that were copied from the Official Orland Park Facebook page and another photo from the Facebook pages of acquaintances, village officials said.

The fake accounts also commented on the Village of Orland Park's social media sites and solicited friend requests from Orland Park police employees and other users.

West was made aware of the comments and witnessed them on social media. He also received a glitter bomb that was sent anonymously to the police department, village officials said. Then, on Jan. 23, West was contacted by a suicide prevention Hotline following a spoofed call.

Due to ongoing harassment, West filed a police report, which led to a criminal police investigation.

West has lived in the Village of Orland Park for 52 years and has served with the police department for over 30 years.

Multiple complaints surfaced within the department

In July 2023, the Village of Orland Park received conflicting complaints of harassment from two Orland Park Police Department employees – West and former sergeant William Sanchez.

Sanchez filed a complaint in November, accusing West and Police Chief Eric Rossi of racial discrimination, harassment and retaliation, according to an article on Patch.com. 

He identifies as Hispanic and claimed he was not moving up in the ranks as efficiently as his Caucasian colleagues, the article states. 

Sanchez also alleged that West retaliated against him in 2019 after voicing concerns about shift assignments and questioning the promotion of another officer, reports said. He filed the complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and West was reprimanded, Patch.com reports. 

An investigation into the allegations was conducted by an outside source and the village hired the law firm of Clark Hill and a third party retired police executive from Gold Shield Detective Agency. 

On Thursday, April 11, village officials announced the investigation's conclusions and said Sanchez's allegations against Police Chief Eric Rossi and West were "unfounded" and "appear to have been made in bad faith."

"Police Chief Eric Rossi and Deputy Chief Brian West did not engage in any improper behavior," village officials said.

The complaint that was filed against Sanchez was found to be substantiated. 

"Police officers are correctly held to the highest standards of honesty and integrity and are expected to be always truthful. These principles are non-negotiable in the pursuit of justice and public service. Unfortunately, the independent investigation found that Sanchez did not uphold these high standards and attempted to undermine the Police administration," village officials said. "Despite Sanchez’s request to the Village to maintain discretion in this matter, Sanchez disclosed the complaint and investigation. The Village believes it to be a priority during an employment investigation to protect the privacy, reputations, and identities of all involved, particularly the accused, and that providing names of involved individuals before the investigation has been completed is inappropriate."

The investigation found that Sanchez "attempted to undermine the police administration," and terminated his employment on Feb. 16, 2024, village officials said. 

After Sanchez spoke out about the investigation and allegations, the village received several media requests for further information.

These inquiries then led to the village releasing the results of the investigation.