Reestablishing Fox Lake Explorer post not in village reform plan
As Fox Lake police work to rebuild trust within the community, the youth program at the root of the Lt. Charles Joseph Gliniewicz scandal is on hold indefinitely.
There's been no talk of reviving Fox Lake Law Enforcement Explorer Post 300, as village officials say they are focusing on other priorities.
“We have been very busy over the last several months to deliver much-needed reforms to the Fox Lake Police Department,” village spokesman Dave Bayless said.
But there has been activity on issues involving Gliniewicz's surplus military equipment and the response from other Explorer groups.
Calls by Village Administrator Anne Marrin for an accounting of Post 300 are said to have ignited a series of events that ended with Gliniewicz's suicide last Sept. 1. As the group's founder and longtime leader, he violated a variety of established rules and embezzled thousands of dollars, authorities later discovered.
By early December, Post 300's last gathering of the year was not the traditional Christmas party but a meeting with village leaders and the end of the line for the program and its two dozen members.
Since then, some members signed on with other posts, including five or six with Antioch Post 15, officials there said.
The Gliniewicz revelations prompted many local Explorer groups to review their operations.
Some found problems. Elgin audited its post finances and found an unauthorized account. Former Elgin Police Explorer leader James E. Rog, 36, of Elgin, was accused of stealing more than $6,000 from the group over 2½ years. He pleaded guilty to a reduced misdemeanor charge and was sentenced to probation, restitution and gambling addiction counseling.
Others, such as the Lake County sheriff's office, determined their programs were sound.
“The business office conducted a financial audit following the Fox Lake investigation and found our Explorer post finances were in order,” Detective Christopher Covelli said.
Gurnee Police Deputy Chief Willie Meyer said officials held an open meeting with Explorer parents that “turned into more questions about the program” — what it does, what kids can expect and how it operates.
“Their bigger concerns seemed to be their kids getting into this line of work,” Meyer said.
As for the Fox Lake Community Center basement that served as “Explorer Central,” it is used for storage, but there are plans for it to house some park programs, officials said.
The helicopter helmets, flak jackets, military-grade cots, ammunition holsters and other equipment found there by authorities was acquired through military surplus programs, according to the village. All equipment has been accounted for and will be returned, but some items — traffic wands, flashlights, traffic cones and lockers — have been repurposed for use by Fox Lake police, Bayless said.