Appellate court affirms former Joliet inspector general had no power to sue Illinois State Police

An appellate court upheld a ruling that a former inspector general for Joliet had no power to sue Illinois State Police for records of an investigation concerning the former mayor.

The 3rd District Appellate Court in Ottawa issued its ruling on Monday for the lawsuit between former Joliet Inspector General Sean Connolly and the Illinois State Police.

The appellate court ruled former Will County Judge John Anderson was correct in finding city ordinance did not give Connolly the authority to file a lawsuit.

Not even the city’s attorneys could have authorized Connolly to file a lawsuit because his office is not a separate unit of government, according to the appellate court.

The appellate court found the city itself was the only entity that could file the lawsuit.

Connolly served as the inspector general between February 2022 and January 2024. Naperville attorney Stephen DiNolfo has since been appointed to Connolly’s position.

Connolly filed his lawsuit in 2023 after Illinois State Police challenged his authority to issue them a subpoena.

Connolly’s subpoena requested numerous records of their investigation of involving former Joliet Mayor Bob O’Dekirk and former Joliet City Council member Donald Dickinson.

O’Dekirk was accused of intimidating Dickinson. A special prosecutor charged Dickinson with making a false accusation against O’Dekirk but then allowed the dismissal of the charge.

Connolly’s subpoena to Illinois State Police requested records such as investigator notes, emails, memos, photographs, recorded interviews, videos and audio recordings.

Connolly’s lawsuit was filed well after he issued a report that alleged several members of a “cabal” pressured Dickinson to file a false police report against O’Dekirk.

Connolly’s report claimed the “cabal” included former Joliet Police Chief Al Roechner, former Deputy Police Chief Marc Reid, Joliet City Council member Pat Mudron, former Joliet City Council member Jim McFarland and former Herald-News Editor Joseph Hosey.

The report from Connolly, who served under O’Dekirk, was publicly released nearly five weeks before the 2023 mayoral election.

O’Dekirk was defeated by Joliet Mayor Terry D’Arcy by an overwhelming margin.

Connolly’s report would later serve as the basis for O’Dekirk’s federal lawsuit against Roechner and other alleged “cabal” members.

O’Dekirk’s lawsuit was filed after his electoral defeat. A federal judge dismissed the case but O’Dekirk has since refiled his lawsuit at the Will County Courthouse.