Documents allege fired Prospect Heights officers misrepresented their police authority

Public documents show this month’s firings of two Prospect Heights police officers were based on allegations of deceit and misrepresentation.

The pair were accused of lying to other police agencies about an order of protection one of the officers had filed, according to the documents released after a public records request.

The officers fired Nov. 1 are Sgt. Michael Smith and Officer Sofia Tirovolas. The police department hired Smith in 2012 and Tirovolas in 2022, according to information previously posted by the city.

Their firings followed investigations of complaints a man twice violated an order of protection Tirovolas filed against him.

Tirovolas is accused of using her status as a police officer to influence Skokie police to arrest the man for a claim he’d violated the order of protection.

In his investigation, Prospect Height Deputy Police Chief Mark Pufundt cited 19 violations of department policy by Tirovolas and 40 violations by Smith.

Smith was found to have committed more violations in regard to an incident at a Niles church where he obtained video from the church and misrepresented to its staff that his requests were on behalf of Prospect Heights police.

“Given the grave and repeated abuse of his authority demonstrated throughout this investigation, I am left no choice but to recommend Sgt. Smith be terminated from the Prospect Heights Police Department,” Pufundt wrote.

He made the same recommendation for Tirovolas.

“It is obvious that (Officer) Tirovolas coordinated with Sgt. Smith in efforts to leverage their status as police officers to gain special treatment from the Skokie,” Pufundt wrote. “These efforts ultimately resulted in a private meeting with (a) Skokie sergeant and the Skokie reporting officer.”

That meeting was described as a “courtesy” between sergeants and one that Tirovolas was present at.

The firings were appealed by both officers and are being adjudicated in court by union attorneys, Prospect Heights City Administrator Peter Falcone said.