A former Orland Hills police officer claims that he was fired after he contacted the FBI when his superiors released the son of a former mayor of a nearby town he arrested during a traffic stop, according to a suit filed Thursday.While working as an Orland Hills police officer, David Kristofek stopped a 2000 Kia automobile Nov. 12, 2010, during a traffic stop and the male driver received two tickets for driving with a suspended registration and failing to provide proof of insurance. The driver was arrested and his vehicle was ordered towed.
The male driver informed the officers who arrived at the scene to assist Kristofek that his mother was a former mayor for a nearby town and requested to be released, the suit said. The driver’s girlfriend, the only other occupant of the vehicle, handed Kristofek a cell phone and told him that the driver’s mother was on the phone, who then requested that Kristofek not arrest her son.
While preparing the arrest paperwork at the police station, Kristofek was told by other officers to give all paperwork to the deputy chief and to delete any information about the driver that had been entered into the computer system, the suit said.
Kristofek gave the documents to the deputy chief who then told him to release the driver, the suit said. The deputy chief also told Kristofek that he made a good arrest but the driver’s release from custody was “above you and I,” the suit said.
Kristofek was concerned that he and the other police officers were possibly involved in political corruption by fixing the traffic arrests and arrest of the driver, the suit said. He spoke with the other officers about the situation and after speaking to a lawyer, contacted the FBI. Kristofek told the officers who assisted him on the arrest about contacting the FBI, the suit said.
During a meeting with police chief Thomas Scully and the deputy chief, Kristofek was told by Scully that he needs to be able to trust his officers and he could no longer be trusted, the suit said.
Scully told Kristofek he could either resign or be terminated, the suit said. Kristofek refused to resign and he was terminated. The two officers that assisted Kristofek with the arrest have also left the police department, the suit said.
The six-count suit claims retaliatory discharge and seeks a jury trial, Kristofek’s reinstatement to the police force, back pay and damages.
A spokesperson for Orland Hills police was not available for comment Thursday evening.
