Oak Lawn politics in the news (more)

Excerpts from OakLawnLeaf.com:

The Village of Oak Lawn is caught in a heated conflict with Robert Lanz, a former firefighter and union official. The village manager and other officials have made statements that some residents and employees are calling an unfair attack on Lanz’s character, and others say it's a stretch of common sense.

Lanz was accused by the village administration of possibly calling phone sex lines while on duty, and he was served with a notice to appear for an interrogation. In court documents filed by the Village of Oak Lawn, the village argued that as a firefighter-paramedic, Lanz treats citizens at their most vulnerable moments. While many agree with this point, what sparked outrage was the next part of the statement:

Firefighter-paramedics such as the Plaintiff (Lanz) see patients when they are not fully clothed, and the paramedics must have physical contact with patients, often of the opposite sex. Because of this, the village must have supreme confidence that the firefighter will not abuse the patient relationship for his own personal gratification

This allegation has been called ridiculous by several anonymous sources within the village. “Linking an unproven claim about phone sex to the possibility of a sex crime shows how far this administration is willing to go to undermine its firefighters,” one employee said, fearing retaliation if identified.

An official described the whole situation as a waste of public funds, blaming it entirely on Village Manager Larry Deetjen. According to court documents, Deetjen had heard rumors that a union audit revealed misused funds. Under his direction, the village asked the Cook County Sheriff’s Office to investigate. However, no charges were filed against any firefighters or union officials.

Despite the investigation being closed, Deetjen reportedly submitted a Freedom of Information request to the sheriff’s office and obtained internal union documents detailing all charges made by union officials over the past four years. He admitted in court that he reviewed these records and connected some of them to Lanz, with whom he has had a long-standing adversarial relationship.

Based on this review, Deetjen checked some of the company names online and found that two of them provide phone sex services. He then examined Lanz’s records and claimed some charges may have occurred during his time at the firehouse. Firefighters in Oak Lawn work 24-hour shifts and stay at the station during that time.

A senior Oak Lawn official who wished to remain anonymous stated that it was clear Deetjen was trying to damage Lanz’s reputation. “This isn’t the first time we’ve seen this kind of smear campaign from this administration. I’m not surprised they’re going after him, but I am shocked they’re stretching it into the realm of sex crimes by bringing up the nature of paramedics’ interactions with patients,” he said.

When Deetjen first brought the issue to the village board, he reportedly told them that Lanz was being disciplined. He wrote that the investigation involved both inappropriate financial activity and inappropriate sex-related behavior while on duty. This contradicts Deetjen’s later court declaration, where he stated, “In late November or early December 2015, I learned that the Cook County Sheriff’s Department concluded its investigation and decided not to press criminal charges against the Plaintiff (Lanz).”

According to sources within the Village of Oak Lawn, Lanz is currently on paid sick leave.

Thanks, Dan

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