New Fox Lake chief vows to bring 'stability' to department rocked by Gliniewicz scandal
Fox Lake's new interim police chief said he hopes to bring stability to a department rocked by scandal over the last five months.
“The men and women of the department and the community have been through an awful lot,” Chief Russell Laine told the Daily Herald shortly before being sworn in Tuesday night at village hall. “I want to provide whatever service I can. Leadership. Guidance.”
Laine, a former chief in Algonquin and Bartlett, takes over a department left reeling by the now-infamous suicide of Lt. Charles Joseph Gliniewicz and other controversies.
Gliniewicz staged his death in September to look like a murder to cover up years of theft from a police youth program.
But that wasn't the department's only black eye in 2015.
Then-Chief Michael Behan was placed on paid leave in late August after an investigation into a December 2014 altercation between police and an intoxicated prisoner in a Fox Lake jail cell. Behan retired while on leave, less than two weeks before Gliniewicz's death.
Three Fox Lake police officers later were suspended for their roles in the confrontation. A fourth officer has been placed on paid administrative leave, pending an FBI investigation, authorities said.
Additionally, a village investigation into the department revealed serious administrative problems, including a lack of basic communication, officials have said.
Laine said he and village officials are evaluating “the whole system” in Fox Lake.
“We hope to bring some stability and begin those changes in the department now,” Laine said.
Trustees approved Laine's one-year contract earlier this month. He will be paid $120,000 for the year and won't participate in Fox Lake's pension program.
After taking the oath of office Tuesday, Laine faced the audience and acknowledged the challenges the department faces. But he also spoke optimistically about the future.
“We see a great police department growing out of this,” Laine said.
Laine, 65, replaces interim chief Mike Keller, who will return to a post with the Lake County sheriff's office.
The village board appointed an interim deputy police chief Tuesday night, too.
Former Roselle Deputy Police Chief Jimmy A. Lee got the job.
Lee worked with the Roselle department for 28 years, including a short stint as acting chief in 2008.
Last year, Lee led some of Fox Lake's internal investigations as a civilian contractor.