20120808 PR - Termination of Officer Stephen Peterson remanded to Board.
Contact: Blaine Wing
Phone: (630) 368-5022
Fax: (630) 368-5023
Email: bwing@oak-brook.org
1200 Oak Brook Road
Oak Brook, IL 60523 Village of Oak Brook
Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Termination of Former Police Officer Peterson Remanded to Board
Oak Brook, Illinois (August 8, 2012) – In Circuit Court on Tuesday, Judge Terence M. Sheen issued a written
order that remanded the case back the Oak Brook Board of Fire and Police Commissioners (BFPC) to better
explain the basis of its decision to terminate Police Officer Stephen Peterson’s employment with the Village.
“The judge did not reopen the case,” said Oak Brook Village Attorney Peter Friedman. “His order simply
requires an additional procedural step that will result in the case going right back up to the judge for a
final determination as to whether or not the Board’s decision should be upheld.”
Friedman said the Village of Oak Brook’s Board of Fire and Police Commissioners will decide the next step,
which could include, “amplifying its order so that it more clearly identifies the actions that the Board felt
Peterson took, and how the Board felt those actions specifically violated many different rules and regulations.”
As noted on February 19, 2011, the BFPC sustained the charges brought against Peterson for violating State
Statute and several Oak Brook police conduct regulations In sustaining the charges, the Board cited , among
other things, the contradictory testimony that Peterson gave concerning his purported reason the weapons
were given to him, the circumstances by which funds were transferred to him, as well as his rationale for not
immediately disclosing the above information to the Illinois State Police.
Overall, the BFPC found that Peterson "exercised extremely poor judgment with respect to the weapons and
money that he received from his father, Drew Peterson." The BFPC further found that Peterson’s testimony
and demeanor at the hearing demonstrated his refusal to acknowledge any error in judgment on his part.
According to the BFPC, "[w]hether the weapons or the money ultimately held any evidentiary value relative to
the investigation . . . is irrelevant. Considering the totality of the circumstances it was incumbent on Officer
Peterson to immediately disclose his receipt of the weapons and money to the appropriate authorities and he
willfully elected to ignore that obligation."
In determining the appropriate discipline, the Board considered Peterson’s prior discipline, including
suspensions. Furthermore, the Board considered the reasonable level of judgment expected of someone
granted the extraordinary legal authority of police power. Finally, the BFPC found that Peterson’s statements
were self-serving, disingenuous, not credible, and demonstrated that Peterson lacked the fundamental ability
to make sound judgments.
About the Village of Oak Brook:
Founded in 1958, the Village of Oak Brook is located 15 miles west of downtown Chicago and is in proximity to
the junction of Interstates 88, 294, and 290. The Village consists mostly of residential subdivisions, with the
exception of the Oak Brook Center shopping mall, other retail and office properties along 22nd Street and
Interstate 88. Oak Brook is the home of many corporate offices, most notably, the world headquarters of
McDonald’s Corporation, Ace Hardware, Tree House Foods, Inland Real Estate and the service club
organization Lions Clubs International. Oak Brook is also known for being one of the few municipalities in the
Chicago area that does not levy a property tax on residents or businesses. To learn more about Oak Brook,
please visit www.oak-brook.org.
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