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December 22, 2024

Deadbeat Village of Orland Park Hasn't Paid $12,000 Settlement They Approved –

By John Kraft & Kirk Allen

On December 2, 2015

Orland Park, IL. (ECWd) –

Deadbeat Village of Orland Park Refuses to Pay $12,000 Settlement
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On October 19th, 2015, the Village of Orland Park Board voted to approve an agreement to settle a lawsuit filed against the Orland Park Police Department for multiple violations of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). This included the Village Police refusing to turn over video, audio, and other documents related to police harassment and civil rights violations. The details of the settlement for these FOIA violations is here: https://edgarcountywatchdogs.com/2015/11/orland-park-police-department-pays-12000-for-foia-violations/
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After the Board approved the settlement to resolve the FOIA matters, the Village signed the agreement on 10/21/15 and it was approved by the court on 10/30/15. When a settlement agreement is signed, the parties have 30 days to comply with the agreement.
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As of 12/01/15, the Village of Orland Park has still not written a check to cover the $12,000 it agreed to pay in this matter. Despite the Board approving this settlement, someone in the Village appears to have decided that they don’t want to cut a check as they agreed to do. Multiple attempts by the prevailing plaintiff in this case to receive a check have been ignored, with the Village refusing to pay up.
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Think for a moment about the double standard involved in this: Do you think you would be able to decide to just not comply with a settlement agreement and not write a check if you owed the Village a large sum of money like this?
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If any member of the public owed the Village of Orland Park $12,000, you can be assured the Village would come after the person relentlessly until that money was paid. And after 30 days with it not being paid, the Village would no doubt take aggressive action against the person.
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When the roles are reversed, however, the Village Board is a deadbeat that does not pay what it agreed to pay to compensate members of the public for police wrongdoing.
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This is the latest in a long string of bad behavior from the Village of Orland Park and the people who run it. Will they ever learn?
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It appears that the judge who presided over the settlement agreement will now have to be brought in to compel the Village to finally cut that check. What is wrong with Orland Park that they fight doing the right thing tooth and nail every step of the way?
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OrlandParkTrustees

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15 Comments
  • Chris M. Gaines
    Posted at 10:15h, 05 December

    It’s not John, as you should know by now. I consulted a prominent local lawyer BEFORE I audio recorded our public servants in Coles County involved in public corruption recently. Obviously our Coles County States Attorney Brian Bower is aware of these changes in our Illinois laws as well. He advised me recently as well, this eavesdropping law only applies to private citizen to citizen conversations without consent of the audio recording being made. I have over 100 audio recordings now of public servants involved in public corruption locally in total, and growing rapidly daily. Consider listening to them yourself John…and then report on this evidence i’ve obtained legally,as can anyone if they choose like I did. What now? … is the question remaining for our States Attorney Brian Bower obviously. What can you do? What can Brian do himself ? ” INVITE” THE PUBLIC INTEGRITY UNIT investigators (Within our Illinois Attorney General Office) INTO COLES COUNTY TO INVESTIGATE MY ALLEGATIONS OF PUBLIC CORRUPTION…IS WHAT HE CAN DO NOW. What can We the People do now? Get MORE informed and then get MORE involved please. Consider that today please. Thank you. Have a nice day.

  • Very Interesting
    Posted at 14:03h, 04 December

    So, which public servants did you illegally record?

    • Chris M. Gaines
      Posted at 22:44h, 04 December

      In case your misinformed or simply confused still, these are the facts according to our Illinois laws currently regarding the audio recording our public servants.
      Illinois Supreme Court Overturns Recording Laws
      When it comes to insane bans on recording police and public officials, the granddaddy of them all has always been Illinois’ eavesdropping law, which made it a federal crime to surreptitiously record any public official, Even if they were amongst the public while performing their duties. The law was abused with such disregard for the Bill of Rights that court after court ruled the law unconstitutional. Those cases primarily dealt with the recording of law enforcement while performing their duties, something which ought to be a national right, given the ubiquity of cameras that are recording public citizens. But now the Illinois Supreme Court has gone further, extending the overturning of the law such that it’s no longer just law enforcement that is free to be recorded by anyone. It’s all public servants can be legally recorded by anyone. Fact. Now what? Want to hear the evidence i’ve legally recorded of our public servants, including law enforcement officers in Coles County involved in public corruption? Call me then and listen for yourself. Why not? Or just more complaining and inaction from you ? Your ability to make an informed decision is based on the evidence you can verify, right? This is an opportunity for you to do that, right? Consider that please. Thank you. Have a nice day.

      • jmkraft
        Posted at 07:20h, 05 December

        I would check with the new eavesdropping law to make sure it is not being violated.

    • Chris M. Gaines
      Posted at 06:00h, 05 December

      It’s not illegal to audio record our public servants in Illinois any longer, thank God. Our Illinois Supreme Court overturned that law, as it was obviously unconstitutional evidently. Google it if you need that evidence as well. It’s easily verified so you can make an informed decision on that as well. Who are you trying to defend with your comments here? Why? What are your intentions here? Please explain. Thank you. Have a nice day.

      • jmkraft
        Posted at 07:18h, 05 December

        I would suggest you check with the new eavesdropping law to make sure you are not violating it.

  • Very Interesting
    Posted at 09:38h, 04 December

    Got any evidence to support your allegations here? once again, you fail to provide any evidence.

    • Chris M. Gaines
      Posted at 11:36h, 04 December

      If you want to hear these digital audio recordings yourself, please don’t hesitate to call me at 217-512-9034 and you can hear their voices as evidence of our public servants in Coles County involved in public corruption. If I could download them in the comments section here I would obviously. Call me if you want to hear them otherwise. Ball is in your court as a citizen now so to speak. Now what? More complaining or are you willing to take action? And make an informed decision based on the evidence I have and you can easily verify now ? You decide that now evidently, not me. Now what? Please consider that today. Thank you. Have a nice day.

  • Very Interesting
    Posted at 08:21h, 04 December

    Very Interesting. Down in the comments, a person stated there was a bunch of corruption in Coles County but provided no EVIDENCE of any crime or corruption. Where is the proof to validate these claims?

    • Chris M. Gaines
      Posted at 09:09h, 04 December

      I have digital audio recordings as evidence of public corruption of our local public servants, including law enforcement officers. I informed our Public Integrity Unit ( David Navarro ) within our Illinois Attorney General Office of this evidence I have gathered over months and secured recently. He asked me to refer it our Coles County States Attorney Office. I did. Your welcome. Now what? Unless our States Attorney Brian Bower ” invites ” them ( Public Integrity Unit ) in our county then they won’t investigate my allegations further an investigator told me recently. So the ball is in the States Attorney Office court so to speak. Now what? … is the question you should be asking our Coles County States Attorney Brian Bower obviously, not me. Consider all this please so you can make an informed decision based on the evidence that’s easy for most anyone to obtain if they want to search for it. Or collect it and report it as I apparently did recently, as we all should. What can you do about it is a question only you can answer. Consider that please. Thank you.

  • Very Interesting
    Posted at 14:09h, 03 December

    Very Interesting. If the corruption is so rampant in Coles County, I trust you will be providing evidence of your claims. Can you provide actual proof of civil servants being members of organized crime in Coles County?

    • WhatTheWhat
      Posted at 21:00h, 03 December

      This article says nothing about Coles County. Did you post your comment in the wrong place or something?

    • Chris M. Gaines
      Posted at 05:36h, 04 December

      Consider this… I neved stated that our public (“civil”) servants were actual “members” of organized crime, obviously. I stated that our public servants within Illinois were influenced by organized crime within Illinois with bribes and kickback schemes apparently. The evidence ( of public corruption) you desire is public record within Coles County, and throughout our state evidently. It’s easily verified by doing a FOIA requests for public records pertaining to it. Do your own research into these well known allegations please if you need confirmation. Consider doing that if you really want the evidence you ask for. It’s common knowledge that our public servants are involved in public corruption in Coles County and throughout our state. Ask most anyone, they will agree. Your trying to defend who? Why? What are your intentions here? Please explain. Thank you.
      Quote from Chris M. Gaines ” Public corruption of our public servants by organized crime is an epidemic in our state of Illinois, and infesting our community in Coles County amongst many other surrounding counties throughout our state of Illinois. Why? BRIBES! Huge BRIBES and kickback schemes in Illinois apparently.”

  • SafeLibraries
    Posted at 05:00h, 03 December

    Wow.

  • Chris M. Gaines
    Posted at 04:37h, 03 December

    Obviously it’s a double standard. Depends who you are evidently. Selectively enforcing our Illinois laws. Who will be held in contempt for this, which city employee specifically? Who will be held accountable for this judges order of payment? When will that happen? Will there be any consequences for these actions by these Orlando Park city officials? When? Lots of questions remain, obviously. Same as it ever was in our corrupt state of Illinois. When will it ever change here in our state? Never, evidently. Get used to more of it, unless you can stop it. Can you? Can We the People? Public corruption of our public servants by organized crime is an epidemic in our state of Illinois, and infesting our community in Coles County amongst many other surrounding counties throughout our state of Illinois. Why? BRIBES! Huge BRIBES and kickback schemes in Illinois apparently. Corrupt Chicago machine politics is why this is ongoing still. Get informed and then get more involved, please. Demand electoral reforms and government transparency!

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