Orland Park to appeal ruling reinstating fired police officer who alleged discrimination
Orland Park says it will ask an arbitrator to reconsider a ruling reinstating a former police sergeant fired last February.
William Sanchez had been with the department since 2004 and was fired Feb. 16, 2024.
Arbitrator James Dworkin said last month Sanchez was not fired for just cause and ordered the village to reinstate him to his former position with the Police Department and 'make him whole for all losses suffered.'
Sanchez sought reinstatement along with back pay.
Orland Park, in a statement the firing 'was made for ample cause after a thorough and impartial process' and said officials will appeal the decision.
The village said it had 'clear and justifiable reasons for its decision, supported by substantial evidence showing that Mr. Sanchez engaged in conduct detrimental to the operations and leadership of the Police Department.'
The village said it would not make any more comment because the matter is still pending.
At the time of his firing, Sanchez was president of the Orland Park Police Supervisors Association, a bargaining unit separate from patrol officers that represents police sergeants and lieutenants in the department.
Sanchez was hired in 2004 as a patrol officer. He was promoted to sergeant in 2021 and that August was assigned as supervisor of the department's traffic safety unit.
He alleged harassment and racial discrimination on the part of Chief Eric Rossi and then assistant Chief Brian West. The village hired a private investigation firm, Gold Shield Detective Agency, as well as an outside law firm, Clark Hill, to oversee the Sanchez allegations as well as a charge by West, now retired, against Sanchez.
Sanchez lodged complaints with the Illinois Department of Human Rights and the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
He alleged he was not promoted to lieutenant because of harassment by West and because of his Mexican heritage, according to the Gold Shield report.
After conducting several interviews, Gold Shield determined Sanchez was not discriminated against.
West alleged Sanchez and other officers were creating a hostile work environment for him and trying to push him out of his job as he was approaching retirement.
The Gold Shield firm said it did find evidence Sanchez contributed to exposing West to a work environment that was 'hostile and unwelcoming.'
The supervisors association filed a grievance two days after Sanchez was fired, alleging he was terminated without just cause and was due to his filing a discrimination complaint.
Charges drafted against Sanchez were to be heard by Orland Park's Board of Fire and Police Commissioners, but he waived his right to a hearing and opted instead to proceed directly to arbitration, according to the village.
The hearing was conducted over four days in late August and early September of last year.
Dworkin, in his ruling, said the investigator who conducted the interviews was not called to testify over the course of the hearing.
'This arbitrator has held hundreds of arbitration cases over the years and it is very unusual to not have the person who conducted the investigation testify at the hearing,' Dworkin wrote.
'His absence calls into question the fairness of the investigatory process,' the arbitrator said.
The arbitrator said the village's deputy police chief at the time testified Sanchez was a 'highly competent' traffic officer, and the then village manager said Sanchez was not fired for poor performance.
mnolan@southtownstar.com
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