Editorial: Gliniewicz proves value of financial oversight
Revelations that Fox Lake Police Lt. Charles Joseph Gliniewicz killed himself and his criminal activities landed with a sickening thud two weeks ago and are still sending shock waves through the region.
The sordid details include evidence Gliniewicz plundered the financial account of Fox Lake Law Enforcement Explorer Post 300, a youth group he advised. Investigators estimated the amount of money he stole reaches into "five figures" over seven years.
It's not hard to figure out that Gliniewicz was able to embezzle funds undetected for so long because of the program's lack of oversight, lack of checks and balances, and lack of policies and procedures that would have prohibited putting financial autonomy in the hands of one person.
This type of crime of stealing from groups largely made up of volunteers is still all too common and will stop only when groups put the necessary safeguards in place.
It is frustratingly curious that these crimes continue to occur.
Gliniewicz and his array of misdeeds is the latest in a long line of criminal thefts that victimize suburban organizations with lax approach to protecting their money.
Cases the Daily Herald has written about just this year include the sentencing of a Downers Grove youth pastor for stealing $4,000 in gift cards, and Warren Township High School's former band booster club treasurer for stealing $27,000. There are many others.
In Fox Lake, the Explorers program Gliniewicz volunteered to oversee lacked sufficient oversight and provided him with a high degree of autonomy that enabled him to run it as his "personal bank account," investigators say.
He spent the money on a host of personal expenses, including vacations and adult websites, and did so without detection.
Investigators say the Explorer program collected a whopping $250,000 over seven years, far more than other Explorer programs have in their accounts. The amount of money going into and out of the Fox Lake account should have been a red flag, but no one was watching.
Like most suburban Explorer programs, Fox Lake doesn't have a line item in its budget or audit that outlines its funding and spending.
Apparently, no one was paying attention to how Gliniewicz was running the program until Village Administrator Anne Marrin demanded a complete inventory of the program earlier this year. That's when things began to unravel.
There are many ways to prevent theft from these organizations, but the easiest is simply doubling the personnel responsible for a group's finances, experts say.
Two people to count cash. Two people to sign checks. Two people to reconcile the books.
It seems like a common sense fix. The fact this keeps happening - including under the noses of Fox Lake village officials - shows many people still aren't getting the message.