Bolingbrook Police Chief Mike Rompa, a 31-year department veteran, was set to retire.
The tipster reached out in January 2026, alleging Rompa used his village credit card for personal purchases at those three retailers, according to CBS News Chicago. Dozens of the clothing items were labeled “uniform – Rompa” on invoices, the station reported, and included 38 tops, 21 athletic or activewear pieces, multiple jackets and coats, and $700 in alterations.
A Uniform Allowance Stretched Thin
Bolingbrook sets a uniform allowance for police administrators each year in its budget, with the chief and deputy chief required to split it evenly. The village budgeted $3,000 annually for that combined allowance in both the 2023-2024 and 2024-2025 fiscal years, but Rompa’s own clothing purchases on the purchasing card — $2,081 in one year and $2,838 in the next — exceeded half of that total allowance in both years, per the station’s reporting.
Ken Teppel told Rompa to stop buying business attire from Men’s Wearhouse once Rompa became chief in 2020, saying there was no longer a reason to keep making those purchases under the uniform allowance. Rompa said he did not remember receiving that instruction. Teppel also said officials reviewed the spending after the fact rather than catching it during the purchases themselves, the outlet reported.
Chair Mats, a Karaoke Machine, and Rompa’s Defense
Among the other purchases CBS News Chicago flagged: ten bamboo chair mats bought for nearly $1,600, even though comparable mats sell online for $20 to $40 apiece. He also tried to buy a JBL PartyBox karaoke machine costing nearly $600, a request the village denied…