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foreign [Music] deal with serious and often distressing incidents if you feel at any time you
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need support please contact your local crisis center for suggested phone numbers for confidential support and for
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a more detailed list of content warnings please see the show notes for this episode on your app or on our website
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the morning of Tuesday September 1 2015 started out like any other for lieutenant Charles Joseph glynowitz
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the 52 year old who went by Joe climbed into his squad car and began making his way towards the Fox Lake Community
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Center in Southern Illinois Joe had important business to attend to he ran a program called The Fox Lake
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explorers which was a collaboration between the Boy Scouts of America and the Fox Lake Police Department
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a geared towards 14 to 21 year olds the Explorers gave youths who had an interest in law enforcement hands-on
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experience with the different aspects of policing the young men and women who trained
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under Joe's guidance were educated on everything from traffic stops to Safe firearm use to Crime Scene Investigation
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and who better to teach them than Joe glinowitz a 30-year veteran of the force Joe had
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dedicated his entire life to law enforcement after leaving high school he spent four
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years in the United States Army before Rising through the ranks within the Fox Lake Police Department
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he took on every role available from canine Officer to member of the SWAT team he continued to serve in the Army
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Reserves amassing a long list of military and Department medals but for all his achievements Joe's
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biggest source of Pride was his work with the Explorers within a year of taking over the post in
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1987 Joe had turned to the program into something special his trainees revered him
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if you were in Joe's Squad you were considered a badass Joe had recently been tasked with
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completing an inventory of all the Explorers assets he headed to the post to get an early
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start making a quick stop at a gas station at around 7 05 am despite being fit and strong Joe was
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also a heavy smoker and he always kept two packs of cigarettes tucked in his car's sun visor
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he stocked up his Supply and resumed his journey but as Joe made his way to the post he
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took a detour past honing Road a rural stretch approximately one and a half miles from the community center
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at 7 52 am he picked up his police radio and contacted dispatch to report some suspicious activity
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Joe told the operator I'm going to be out at the old concrete plant checking on two males whites one
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male black although Joe wasn't technically yet on duty there had been recent reports of
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vandalism in the area and he had agreed to keep an eye on things besides he was the kind of officer who
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considered himself on duty any time he was in town the dispatcher asked Joe if he needed
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backup Joe responded negative at this time three minutes later at 7 55 am Joe radioed in again
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he told the dispatcher the man had taken off towards the swamp and he was pursuing them on foot
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he gave his location as the gravel road that ran between the cement plant and honing Road
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although he sounded cool and calm the dispatcher once again asked if he wanted backup
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this time Joe responded go ahead and send somebody [Music] [Music] three police cars were quickly
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dispatched to the area arriving on honing Road at 801 am Lieutenant Joe Glenna wisser's squad car
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was parked near the old cement factory but Joe himself was nowhere to be seen the backup officers headed into the
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surrounding woods and battled their way through the marshy bog and thick scrub it was Springtime and the scrub was
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dense with green vegetation making it near impossible to see through the dispatcher radio to Joe asking for
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his current status there was no response they radioed for a second time still nothing
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the dispatcher asked the other officers Fox Lake units on honing checked status on 6740.
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one officer responded we don't have him right now we're looking for him suddenly a loud bang rang through the
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air there was no mistaking the sound it was a gunshot the officers charged further into the
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woods towards the swamp trying to follow the direction of the noise the dispatcher continually tried to
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radio Joe but to no avail calls were placed to Joe's cell phone but those two went unanswered
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the minutes ticked by as the officers battled onwards then at 809 one officer pushed their way
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through the scrub and came to the bank of the swamp a little further into the woods lying
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face down was the body of Joe glenowitz the officer rolled him over blood was coming from his nose and is
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seeping out from above his collar the officer radioed at the dispatcher announcing
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Officer Down [Music] it was a devastating site for the first responding officers
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one in particular became overwhelmed with emotion touching Joe's hand and wailing
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why Joe why Joe no no no no another said he's gone get your gun out and call out
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anything you see and Joe glenowitz had been shot twice the first bullet struck him in the right
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hip where he kept his mobile phone Joe was wearing a ballistic vest which prevented the bullet from entering his
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body but his luck stopped there the second bullet had been shot downwards into Joe's vest striking him
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in the chest and penetrating his pulmonary artery such an injury meant he would have bled
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to death within minutes evidence at the scene indicated a struggle had taken place
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scattered around to the ground were several of Joe's belongings including his pepper spray with that safety tab
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removed a little further away leijo's baton and glasses two shell casings were also recovered a
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short distance apart this meant the gunshots had been fired from two different locations within the
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crime scene the showcasings Matched the 40 caliber service pistol carried by Joe glenowitz
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however his holster was empty and to the pistol itself was nowhere to be seen this raised the harrowing probability
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that the man Joe had been pursuing were now on the run with his stolen gun a police bulletin immediately went out
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warning that the trio were armed and dangerous 400 heavily armed officers from across
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Illinois sped towards Fox Lake a small village of less than 11 000 residents they sealed off the two square mile
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radius surrounding the crime scene focusing the hunt for the shooters Within it wasn't an easy place to search
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the designated Kill Zone consisted of heavily wooded areas waterways homes and businesses
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it was also a hot day and the swampy landscape it generated harsh humidity officers wearing heavy tactical gear and
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carrying rifles began passing out from the Heat but investigators were taking no chances
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Joe glinowitz was the first officer to be fatally shot in the line of duty in Lake County since 1980 and the first
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ever to be killed in Fox Lake furthermore the Labor Day long weekend was just four days away a holiday that
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attracted thousands of tourists to the area apprehending those responsible was of
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the highest priority a SWAT team and 45 canine units were brought in while five helicopters and a
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fixed wing airplane surged overhead some businesses were closed while schools were put on lockdown
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the local trains were stopped and residents were urged to stay indoors one sniffer dog successfully picked up a
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cent it was followed until the scent was lost with no discoveries word of what happened spread quickly in
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the close-knit community Lieutenant Joe glenowitz was somewhat of a local celebrity known for his
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trademark outfit consisting of fatigues combat boots and Military hat combined with his tattooed muscly arms
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and tough Persona he learned the nickname of GI Joe residents were shocked to learn that GI
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Joe of all people had been gunned down but none were as shocked as Melody clinicowitz Joe's wife of 26 years
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when she was delivered to the news by mayor Donnie Schmidt Melody collapsed and became physically ill
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mayor Schmidt told CNN the whale that went out of her mouth then will stay with me forever
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The Manhunt for Joe's Killers intensified all investigators had to go by was the
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vague description Joe had given the dispatcher to white man and one black this made it near impossible to narrow
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down the suspect pool one call came through from a concerned citizen who reported if they'd seen the
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three suspects lootering near the treatment plant another became suspicious when they saw
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an unknown man running into a vehicle other calls came through with locals eager to help in any way they could but
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nothing emerged that identified the shooters with no arrests made by Nightfall helicopters fitted with thermal cameras
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flew overhead police obtained dash cam footage from a truck driver who was in the area around
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the time of the shooting as well as recordings from traffic cameras and security footage from a local homeowner
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the footage was examined but no immediate leads emerged the search resumed at first light on
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Wednesday morning schools in the district remained closed as a safety precaution but with the
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thermal scanners failing to detect anything it was deemed unlikely that the killers were still in the area
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the search expanded beyond their two-mile Kill Zone with investigators turning their focus to tip-offs while
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they waited for forensic analysis of the crime scene the commander of Lake County's Major
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Crimes task force George falenko fronted a press conference appealing for help from the public to catch the shooters
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whom he described as extremely dangerous he urged residents to remain Vigilant saying
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all it takes is one tip or one good lead to break a case wide open falenko made it clear that the Manhunt
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would continue until Joe's killers were apprehended stating I have a murdered colleague a police
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officer and we're not going to stop what investigators didn't reveal was that a significant piece of evidence had
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already been recovered within an hour of scouring the crime scene a forensic examiner was scanning
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the ground about two and a half feet from where Joe glinowitz's body was found there lying in The Tall Grass between
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two trees was Joe's gun analysis revealed the presence of DNA from someone other than Joe giving
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investigators their first substantial clue the Fox Lake Community wasted no time in
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showing their support for the Fallen officer many viewed a Joe glinowitz's death as a
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sign of the increasing dangers faced by police some were quick to blame the black lives
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matter movement for encouraging citizens to fight out against excessive law enforcement
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mostly residents simply couldn't comprehend that this had happened to an officer that many viewed as one of the
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best Fox Lake had ever seen members of the Explorer Program were particularly troubled
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over the years hundreds of youths who were trained by Joe went on to have successful careers in law enforcement or
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the military many of them viewed him as a mentor and father figure one teen told CNN that Joe's death felt
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like losing a family member as the search for Joe's Killers escalated into a full-scale FBI
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investigation a vigil was organized by Village locals on the evening after the shooting
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1200 people attended with officers riding on Horseback past mourner's wielding handheld science showing words
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of support such as police lives matter and we stand with blue Joe glinowitz was remembered as an
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American Hero his wife Melody stood before the crowd comforted by the couple's four adult
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sons as she said through tears Joe was my best friend my world my hero the love of my life for the last 26 and
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a half years he was the most wonderful caring and loving father to our boys my world got a little bit smaller with
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his passing and he will truly be missed by all of us the former police chief Michael Bayon
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who had spent 30 years working alongside a Joe delivered a poem he wrote in his comrade's honor
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a Fallen Hero my friend in blue strong and brave his heart and the true it read a soldier and a policeman he knew what
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it could cost tonight a piece of America we have lost later that evening at around 9 30 PM 30
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year old Nanny Kristen Kiefer called police to report a bizarre incident Kristen said she was driving down Route
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12 in Volo a small village just five miles south of Fox Lake when she started experiencing car trouble
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Kristen pulled over on the side of the road and stepped outside with a flashlight to see what was going on
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suddenly two men wearing hoodies appeared out of nowhere one was white and one was black
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they asked Kristen if she was heading to Wisconsin 130 miles away and if they could get a ride
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they then tried to steal her car Kristen managed to jump back inside her vehicle and lock the doors
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as she dialed 9-1-1 the two men fled into the cornfields at the back of a nearby Garden Center
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for investigators on the glenowitz case this was a major breakthrough nearly 100 members of law enforcement
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quickly descended on the area setting up a roadblock around the search perimeter
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thermally equipped helicopters scanned overhead as 11 canine units aided the ground search
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one dog soon picked up a sand it led officers through to the Volo bog State Natural Area a dense Nature
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Reserve containing Woodland and open swampland but it didn't lead to the man instead it turned out the canine had
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mistakenly attracted deer the helicopters also failed to detect any movement or heat sources
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by 2 30 am no trace of the two men was found given how quickly investigators had
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acted it seemed incredible that the man could have evaded detection particularly
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given they were on foot Kristen Kiefer was pressed for more information she eventually admitted she made the
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entire story up in a bid to get attention from the family she worked for Kristen was charged with the disorderly
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conduct she pleaded guilty resulting in two years probation 250 hours of community
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service and a restitution fine of twenty thousand dollars for the expenses incurred during the surge
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the Labor Day public holiday became a day of mourning as thousands gathered in Fox Lake for Joe's funeral
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a public viewing of his casket was held at a local high school before a five mile procession made up of over one
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thousand police vehicles made its way through the streets lined with mourners the governor ordered that all United
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States flags at government buildings be flown at half-mast until that evening speaking at his service a friend and
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fellow officer said when we were growing up we all knew Joe was a hero but now the nation knows he's a hero
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meanwhile the locally based Motorola Solutions company offered a fifty thousand dollar reward for information
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that led to an arrest FBI agents reviewed the various CCTV footage taken from the area on the day
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Joe glenowitz was killed and identified three men matching the description of the ones the lieutenant was pursuing
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a sequential video was pieced together and a search kicked off immediately to track the trio down
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eight hours later police found the men in question the trio claimed they had nothing to do
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with the shooting and were eating breakfast at a nearby Diner at the time investigators obtained footage receipts
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and witness statements to confirm this with their Alibi checking out and no other leads emerging questions were
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raised about whether this could have been a targeted attack Joe glinowitz hadn't given the
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dispatcher any clear reason why he'd decided to pursue the three men out near honing Road or what exactly they'd done
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that he deemed suspicious this raised the question what if someone had a personal Vendetta
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against a Joe and had lured him out there analysis of the GPS unit in Joe's squad
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car recorded him as arriving at the old cement factory at 7 25 am the first call he'd placed over his
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police radio was at 7 52 am this meant he spent almost 30 minutes in the area before contacting dispatch
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so what happened during that time with all possibilities needing to be considered investigators turned to Joe
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glinowitz's personnel file the 264-page folder dated back to 1985. it was packed with accolades from
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business owners civilians and members of numerous police departments commending Joe for his outstanding work during
00:22:19
various incidents whether assisting in a serious criminal case or helping individuals out of a jam
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he was praised for being professional friendly and courteous for this sensitive Way Joe dealt with a
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victim's family one police chief said compassion and understanding are not something that can be taught in a
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classroom or learned in a textbook one couple described the lengths Joe went to to help them when their car
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broke down writing patrolman glenowitz is a perfect example of a gentleman but as investigators combed through
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every page it became clear that all was not as it seemed [Music] thank you [Music]
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for all the praise he received Lieutenant Joe glinowitz's professional record was far from untarnished
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back in May of 1998 a Lake County Sheriff's deputy was driving down Route 49 when they found a pickup a truck
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idling on the side of the highway Joe glenowitz was behind the wheel passed out drunk with his foot pressed
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down on the accelerator oil was leaking from the engine the deputy tried to wake a Joe but he
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wouldn't budge it wasn't the first time something like this had happened the deputy called a fox-like police
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detective who came to collector Joe and organized to have his truck towed the next morning Joe couldn't remember a
00:24:10
thing unable to recall where he left his truck he reported it stolen only to learn the
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truth about what had happened when questioned by his superiors Joe claimed that he'd worked a long day
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before playing volleyball after his shift he'd drunk six beers and several shots
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causing him to black out several months later Joe failed to report to work after a night out
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drinking a decision that cost him a two-day unpaid suspension Joe admitted he had a drinking problem
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but assured the police chief that he was handling it [Music] the next few years were relatively
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uneventful say for a few warnings about being late or failing to report for Duty
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[Music] then in 2000 an officer named Denise was appointed to help Joe run the Explorer's
00:25:08
post Denise had joined the force in the 90s making her the only woman in the all-male Fox Lake PD
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Denise loved her job but before long Joe began making her feel uncomfortable he demanded that she wear a tighter
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uniform and to ordered that she accompanied him to the bathroom while he urinated
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on Valentine's Day of 2000 Joe told Denise to meet him at a hotel there he gave her a box of chocolates
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and began rubbing her shoulders Joe allegedly told Denise there was a lieutenant on the squad who didn't like
00:25:49
female officers he offered to protect Denise and help her rise through the ranks on the
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condition that she provided him with sexual favors Denise was a single mother who feared
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she'd lose her job if she didn't comply over the next eight months she performed
00:26:09
oral sex on Joe on five separate occasions allegedly making it clear she didn't enjoy it
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Denise eventually resigned from the Explorers no longer able to work under Joe glenowitz but she kept the details
00:26:24
about his conduct to herself in 2001 she attended a workshop about sexual harassment after which she felt
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she could no longer remain silent Denise told one of her superiors about Joe's behavior and he was subsequently
00:26:42
questioned about it Joe admitted that the two had an inappropriate sexual relationship but
00:26:49
denied Denise's claim of coercion he was suspended for 30 days with the recommendation that he received
00:26:57
canceling for sex addiction [Music] but according to Denise from that point on she was put under constant scrutiny
00:27:05
from her colleagues she eventually quit her job and moved into state Denise later told the New Yorker Daily
00:27:13
News it was a good old boys club if I didn't play along then I was not going to stay
00:27:24
[Music] in 2005 Denise filed a lawsuit against the Fox Lake PD it was ultimately thrown out when she
00:27:34
failed to meet Court requirements regardless it cost the village tens of thousands of dollars in legal fees
00:27:43
meanwhile Joe glenowitz continued to rise through the ranks and was eventually promoted from Sergeant to
00:27:49
Lieutenant Denise wasn't the only one embittered by this in 2009 the then mayor of Fox Lake Cindy
00:27:59
Irwin received a two-page Anonymous letter that started we the members of the Fox Lake Police
00:28:06
Department wish to inform you of certain situations which have occurred and require attention
00:28:14
the letter complained that morale within the department was at an all-time low due in part to the ongoing reprehensible
00:28:21
misconduct by Lieutenant Joe glenowitz in addition to Denise's claims a police dispatcher complained that Joe had
00:28:30
sexually harassed and threatened her other Personnel had seen Joe out and about with the different women who
00:28:38
weren't his wife various complaints had been made by women who claimed to Joe had
00:28:44
inappropriately groped their breasts during work Christmas parties [Music] according to the letter Joe's drinking
00:28:53
was still an ongoing problem security guards at various establishments around the village had
00:28:59
complained that Joe was becoming a nuisance and overstaying his welcome there had been several instances where
00:29:07
bouncers had to escort him out for being too intoxicated he'd also allegedly failed to pay a bar
00:29:14
tab of more than three hundred dollars then there was the abuse of power Joe had reportedly used a gift
00:29:24
certificate that was donated to the police department to get a tattoo while on duty
00:29:29
he'd also used his squad car to take his family on Interstate holidays as for the Explorers the letter
00:29:37
complained that Joe was seriously breaching protocols he'd given trainees unsupervised access
00:29:44
to the police department allowed them to operate Department vehicles and permitted them to wear official garments
00:29:51
that misrepresented them as actual police officers according to the letter complaints
00:29:59
regarding these issues and many others had been made to the then chief of police Michael Bayern but nothing had
00:30:06
been done it was well known that Bayonne entered Joe glenowitz were close friends
00:30:14
the anonymous group concluded chief bayan's head in the sand attitude to dealing with Lieutenant glenowitz can
00:30:22
no longer go on it is our sincere hope that you will address this matter we can no longer Stand By and Watch
00:30:30
Lieutenant glenowitz violate the rules and regulations policies and procedures and remain silent
00:30:37
[Music] if action wasn't taken the group warned they'd have no choice but to contact the
00:30:44
media or escalate the issue to the relevant investigative agency the discovery of this information left
00:30:57
investigators scratching their heads these records provided a stuck contrast to the glowing reputation Joe glinoids
00:31:06
had so far been memorialized for it was also unexpected that an employee with such a blemished record would hold
00:31:14
a lieutenant position [Music] mayor Donnie Schmidt who considered Joe a close friend was adamant that he was
00:31:22
unaware of Joe's personnel file he said he'd never heard a single complaint against Joe in the two and a
00:31:30
half years he'd served as mayor but when investigators questioned other officers on Joe's Squad it quickly
00:31:38
became apparent that there were mixed feelings towards Joe glenowitz one of the female officers who had found
00:31:45
to Joe's body was aware of his history of sexual harassment she claimed to Joe once told her that he
00:31:52
wasn't allowed to be alone with any of the police women according to this officer Joe was
00:31:59
considered a golden child within the department she believed he must have had some dirt
00:32:05
on one of his colleagues to be allowed to stay on with the Joe's unsavory history coming
00:32:12
to light it put extra weight on the possibility that he could have been killed by someone seeking vengeance
00:32:20
investigators working the homicide case also had to consider whether Joe's death
00:32:25
could have resulted from some other unknown secret but there was another theory entirely
00:32:35
from the outset of the investigation some questions had been raised about the crime scene
00:32:42
despite the scattering of Joe's weapons there were no other signs that a struggle had taken place
00:32:48
Joe's Clothing was in pristine order other than a bit of mud on his pants the heavily vegetated swampy area was
00:32:57
also relatively undisturbed forensic examination had revealed that the Fatal gunshot had been administered
00:33:05
two inches under the top of Joe's bulletproof vest Joe glinowitz was a tough officer with
00:33:13
Decades of training in all matters of law enforcement so how did a perpetrator get close
00:33:19
enough to shoot him with his own gun without causing any other injuries or at the very least leaving Joe disheveled
00:33:28
[Music] there was also the question of why the shooter would leave Joe's gun at the
00:33:34
scene why hadn't they taken it with them or disposed of it in the nearby swamp the officer who had discovered Joe's
00:33:43
body noted that Joe's hand had been tensed in a position that indicated he might have been holding a gun
00:33:50
these details along with the mystery as to why Joe had been in the area for close to 30 minutes before calling the
00:33:57
dispatcher led to an uncomfortable question was it possible that the lieutenant had
00:34:04
killed himself [Music] those close to Joe instantly shut this Theory down Joe was a larger-than-life character who
00:34:16
had never shown any signs of depression or expressed the desire to self-harm even the responding officer who had her
00:34:25
own concerns about Joe's Behavior denied the possibility she told investigators that Joe was too
00:34:33
vain to attempt suicide what if he missed and ended up paralyzed for life she didn't think Joe would risk it
00:34:43
another officer who attended the scene wrote in their statement there were no obvious signs or evidence
00:34:51
to draw any conclusions including suicide forensic Pathologists said there was nothing unusual about the
00:35:01
trans-positioning of Joe's hands hands can naturally curl up post-mortem and there was nothing about the way Joe's
00:35:08
hands were found that indicated suicide the pathologist who performed to Joe's autopsy said it was highly unlikely that
00:35:17
someone who was going to kill themselves would shoot themselves twice even though the Bullet To The Hip didn't
00:35:25
penetrate his skin it still would have been incredibly painful some likened it to the same Force as
00:35:32
being hit with a sledgehammer also for Skeptics of the suicide theory if a Joe hadn't killed himself how did
00:35:42
his gun end up several feet away from his body furthermore Joe had stocked up on his
00:35:48
usual supply of cigarettes that morning why would he do that if he knew he wasn't going to be around to smoke them
00:35:58
on the Friday after Joe's death the coroner's office received a call from a blocked number
00:36:05
the anonymous male caller claimed to be a retired Chicago police officer convinced that Joe glenowitz had shot
00:36:13
himself the caller threatened to violently harm the coroner and one of the task force investigators unless
00:36:20
Joe's death was declared a suicide the call was traced back to 54-year-old Joseph Battaglia a divorced father of
00:36:30
three who retired from the force in 2012. further investigation revealed he'd also
00:36:36
called various media outlets in a bid to spread the suicide story Battaglia was ultimately charged with
00:36:45
disorderly conduct he pleaded guilty and was sentenced to one year of supervision marking the
00:36:53
second conviction in the joke line of its investigation that had nothing to do with the crime itself
00:37:00
regardless the coroner made a public statement on television declaring I can't rule out a suicide I can't rule
00:37:10
out an accident I can't rule inner homicide I can't issue a manner of death until
00:37:17
law enforcement gives me everything they have foreign owitz family was outraged at the
00:37:26
implication according to them Joe had never had a single suicidal thought in his life
00:37:34
and Joe had been set to retire in the months leading up to his death but had recently applied for various police
00:37:40
chief positions the fact that he was planning for the future proved to them that he wasn't
00:37:46
planning to take his own life Joe's wife Melody told crime watch Daily there were things that were happening in
00:37:56
our life that people who were going to commit suicide would never do we lived for these things
00:38:05
she said she wholeheartedly believed that her husband was murdered the glenowitz family called the suicide
00:38:14
allegations disrespectful hurtful and irresponsible they along with the investigators
00:38:20
slammed the coroner for his statement with the release of sensitive information putting the entire case at
00:38:27
risk Joe Sun DJ told the Arlington Heights Daily Herald I know my father my family knows my
00:38:37
father and his closest friends know him well he's not someone whoever contemplated
00:38:42
suicide he never had Suicidal Tendencies or anything like that that's just a rumor and that's that
00:38:53
but there was something else raising questions when Joe glinowitz's body was found an
00:39:00
examination of his mobile phone revealed that all of his text messages had been deleted
00:39:06
investigators were growing more confused about what to make of it all with the days passing with no
00:39:13
breakthroughs in the case they sent Joe's phone to the FBI in late October a 6500 page report came
00:39:24
back all of Joe's text messages had been successfully retrieved in March of 2014 a new Village
00:39:43
administrator named Anne Marin was appointed to Fox Lake Anne had years of experience in the
00:39:50
government sector including Public Finance and a large part of her job was to focus on the village budget
00:39:57
this also prompted a change in The Village's leadership text records revealed that this
00:40:03
presented an ongoing problem for Joe glenowitz he viewed in Marin as a power Monger who
00:40:10
was trying to control everything in the village he soon started making inquiries about
00:40:16
whether it was possible to separate his Explorer's post from the Fox Lake Police
00:40:20
Department and to another sponsor in March 2015 Joe texted a higher up contact saying
00:40:31
between you and I I'm having a great deal of problems with our new Village administrator
00:40:37
I've had a talk with the chief and he agrees with me we are all looking at our PD retirement
00:40:43
options and I need to move the post out of that spin of control at least till this person's contract is up
00:40:51
Joe's contact advised that the Explorers didn't need to be charted by the village
00:40:57
and suggested he contact another organization that might be interested in sponsoring the program
00:41:04
texts indicated that Joe put wheels in motion to make this change but it was shut down by officials
00:41:13
in mid-april he texted his wife Melody to complain about Anne Marin Joe wrote as long as we are sponsored by the PD
00:41:22
and after she makes the village structure change she will have the means and ability to do what she wishes
00:41:30
Melody responded maybe we need to hide the funds somehow a month later Joe once again texted
00:41:40
Melody to air his grievances about Maron writing she hates me and I've never said more
00:41:47
than three sentences to her in the year she's been here she hates the Explorer program and is
00:41:52
crawling up my ass she gets a hold of their checking account I'm pretty well [ __ ]
00:42:00
Melody responded hopefully she decides to get a couple of drinks in her and she gets a DUI
00:42:08
Joe texted back trust me I've thought through many scenarios from planting things to Volo
00:42:16
bog for investigators these text messages raised some serious concerns when they'd first searched Joe
00:42:27
glenowitz's desk following his death they found a small package of cocaine in an unmarked evidence bag
00:42:34
it couldn't be linked to any active case with the Joe's talk of planting things investigators wondered if he intended to
00:42:43
use this against Anne Marin but this wasn't quite as concerning as Joe's mention of the Volo bog
00:42:52
the Natural Area just four miles south of fox lake contained an extensive system of waterways known as the Chino
00:43:00
Lakes Joe's reference raised the question of whether he was referring to the bog as a
00:43:07
potential Dumping Ground for a body this wasn't a far-fetched possibility investigators extracted a private
00:43:16
Facebook conversation between Joe and another woman in which Joe said he was being forced to retire by The Village
00:43:23
administrator he wrote work has been a living hell the last two months close to entertaining a meeting with a
00:43:33
mutual acquaintance of ours with the word white in their nickname investigators believed they knew exactly
00:43:42
who Joe was referring to a high-ranking member of an outlaw motorcycle gang they questioned the woman Joe was
00:43:51
messaging she confirmed that Joe discussed the possibility of hiring someone to conduct
00:43:57
a hit a meeting was arranged between law enforcement and the gang member thought
00:44:03
to be the person referred to as white had admitted he was familiar with Lieutenant Joe glenowitz but firmly
00:44:11
denied that Joe had ever approached him about a contract killing when Anne Marin was told about the
00:44:20
recovered text messages she was astonished her conversations with Joe had always
00:44:26
been Pleasant and she had no reason to think there was any bad blood between them
00:44:32
investigators could find no further evidence to suggest that Joe had seriously considered hiring a Hitman to
00:44:38
remove Marin from the equation it was possible his comments were just a distasteful attempts at dark humor
00:44:47
regardless Joe's intense dislike for the new Village administrator raised the obvious question
00:44:54
what was he trying to hide as a police Lieutenant Joe glinowitz received an annual salary of ninety six
00:45:05
thousand dollars however photos posted to his social media accounts suggested he lived a more
00:45:12
lavish lifestyle than his salary would support with vacations to Hawaii and frequent dinners at upscale restaurants
00:45:21
text messages recovered from Joe's phone indicated exactly where this money was coming from
00:45:28
on June 22 2015 Joe messaged his wife Melody to say used the Explorer account for flight
00:45:37
624.70 it can wait for a while their account is sitting at 3 000 ish now a few days later a frantic Joe texted
00:45:51
his son DJ about unidentified expenses totaling over two thousand dollars you are borrowing from that other
00:46:00
account Joe wrote when you get back you'll have to start dumping money into that account or you
00:46:06
will be visiting me in jail [Music] the next day he texted DJ again saying I'm sticking my neck out there
00:46:17
he mentioned thousands of dollars he didn't DJ to fix his truck and pay for a summer vacation
00:46:24
according to Joe this meant there wasn't enough money left in the Explorer's account to pay for upcoming expenses
00:46:33
he needed DJ to pay the money back so that if anyone asked he could explain that Explorer participants were given
00:46:40
loans from time to time Joe wrote this Village administrator hates me and the Explorer Program
00:46:50
this situation right here would give her the means to crucify me if it were discovered
00:46:56
[Music] shortly before Joe's death Fox Lake Police Chief Michael bayen retired from
00:47:04
the force pending an investigation into the Department's handling of an unrelated incident
00:47:09
[Music] the change in leadership prompted a review of the Department's procedures
00:47:14
and equipment on August 31 2015 the day before Joe's death in Marin paid a visit to the
00:47:23
Explorer post after a year and a half in the village administrator role she still didn't know
00:47:30
how much money the Explorer Program brought in for insurance purposes she also needed
00:47:36
an inventory of all the Explorers assets [Music] The Clubhouse in the basement of the
00:47:43
community center was packed full of cardboard boxes looking through them Marin was shocked
00:47:50
to discover that they held official military gear including gas masks bulletproof vests combat boots gun belts
00:47:58
and manuals on SWAT tactics and sniper training this was the kind of equipment reserved
00:48:05
for experienced police departments not teenagers in fact some of the most bona fide
00:48:12
police departments couldn't even get their hands on this type of gear Marin approached to Joe glenowitz and
00:48:20
requested that he provide her with a full inventory by 2PM that day she told him
00:48:27
I want your invoices your procurement where your authorization came from Joe responded Yes ma'am
00:48:37
he then texted former police chief Michael Bayon she has now demanded a complete infantry
00:48:44
of Explorer Central and a financial report [ __ ] my life the truth was it was impossible for Joe
00:48:54
to provide Ann Marin with the documentation she had requested because he'd obtained the gear fraudulently
00:49:01
Joe had forged the chief signature to obtain the gear from an army surplus program knowing it wasn't supposed to be
00:49:09
used with the Explorers but that wasn't all a deep dive into Joe glenowitz's Financial records revealed that for the
00:49:18
past seven years he had spent tens of thousands of dollars of the Explorer's money to bankroll his own personal
00:49:25
expenses Joe had used the account to pay for everything from his mortgage to gym
00:49:32
memberships to online pornography he used it for travel expenses coffee and to pay over 400 restaurant bills
00:49:42
with all this new evidence coming to light investigators had no doubt about it Joe glenowitz feared his time was up
00:49:52
he likely believed he had two options be exposed for embezzling charitable funds or go out a hero
00:50:05
if Joe was going to pull his plan off he knew that everything needed to play out
00:50:10
exactly like a regular day therefore on the morning of September 1 2015 he drove to the gas station to buy
00:50:19
his usual supply of cigarettes before heading out to the area surrounding the old concrete Factory
00:50:25
it was a location Joe knew well having facilitated sniper training for the Explorers out in the forested
00:50:32
surroundings he arrived at the site and spent the next 30 minutes staging a crime scene
00:50:40
it was something he'd done many times before as part of the Explorer Program he then radioed the dispatcher and
00:50:48
fabricated the story about chasing three suspicious males after calling for backup he took his gun
00:50:55
out of his holster and shot himself in the hip knowing it wouldn't be fatal the shot would have been incredibly
00:51:02
painful but necessary if anyone was going to believe his story Joe then shot himself downwards into his
00:51:11
bulletproof vest purposely hitting the pulmonary artery but avoiding his heart this would have given him up to two
00:51:19
minutes before bleeding to death enough time for Joe to throw his gun between the two trees and to then stumble away
00:51:26
to create distance between himself and the weapon after nine weeks of Investigation
00:51:34
Commander George falenko fronted a press conference to announce that the murder of Lieutenant Joe glenowitz hadn't been
00:51:42
a murder at all but a carefully staged suicide falenko said we have determined this staged suicide
00:51:53
was the end result of extensive criminal acts that glenowitz had been committing
00:51:59
there are no winners glenowitz committed the ultimate betrayal to the citizens he served and
00:52:06
the entire law enforcement community the facts of his actions prove he behaved for years in a manner completely
00:52:14
contrary to the image he portrayed members of the Gathering media were outraged with suicide mentioned as a possibility
00:52:25
from early on they wanted to know why over two months had been spent on a homicide investigation
00:52:33
they felt the public had been duped Commander falenko assured them that the investigation team had genuinely
00:52:40
believed they were looking at a homicide and were equally shocked to discover the
00:52:45
truth the glenowitz family issued a statement requesting privacy saying that the
00:52:52
findings had brought another day of deep sorrow as they coped with the loss of a
00:52:57
beloved father and husband the public weren't so quiet in the wake of Joe's death a non-profit
00:53:07
organization that assists survivors of officers killed in the line of duty had donated fifteen thousand dollars to the
00:53:14
glenowitz family the group asked for the money back Motorola Solutions also with the Drew
00:53:22
their 50 000 reward for information but said they would instead donate it to the
00:53:28
explorers who were grappling to come to terms with the reality of Joe's death the mother of one of Joe's devoted
00:53:36
trainees said you never thought he was this kind of man it had a crushing effect on locals with
00:53:45
one man telling the Press it's breaking my heart the mystery of Joe's death was over but
00:53:57
that didn't necessarily mean that the case was closed from the text messages and other
00:54:03
evidence it was clear to investigators that Melody knew her husband was misappropriating the Explorer funds
00:54:11
Melody admitted that Joe sometimes took money from the Explorer's account but she insisted that those funds were
00:54:18
always paid back she said she had no idea that her husband was co-mingling fonts and denied
00:54:25
having any part in it a forensic accountant failed to find a clear link to prove that melody was
00:54:33
directly responsible for any of the transactions regardless in late January 2016 melody
00:54:41
was indicted on six counts including money laundering and dispersing charitable funds without Authority and
00:54:48
for personal benefit she was released after posting a fifty thousand dollar bond with a statement
00:54:55
released by her lawyer declaring [Music] Melody has suffered greatly over the past few months and continues to move
00:55:03
her family forward after the emotionally traumatizing events of September 1 2015.
00:55:10
considering Melody's cooperation with law enforcement she is devastated by the decision to bring charges against her
00:55:18
Melody is a victim of her husband's secret actions and looks forward to her day in court to show the world her
00:55:25
innocence in February 2022 Melody glenowitz pleaded guilty to one felony count of
00:55:33
deceptive practices in exchange for all other charges being dropped however she told the court
00:55:42
I want to make it clear I never took a set from the Explorer fund no matter what's being reported
00:55:50
the judge sentenced her to 24 months of probation saying there was no question as to her guilt
00:55:57
[Music] no charges were laid against to Joe's son DJ as it couldn't be ascertained
00:56:03
that DJ knew the funds were stolen until after his father demanded he paid the money back
00:56:10
the state attorney said this entire matter has been a sad and tragic Saga for the village of Fox Lake
00:56:19
My Hope Is that we will be able to close this unfortunate chapter and move forward with ensuring a professional and
00:56:26
a transparent Police Department dedicated to the citizens of Fox Lake after the truth about Joe's suicide was
00:56:38
exposed the Fox Lake explorers temporarily disbanded according to the Chicago Tribune the
00:56:45
program was revealed to have been so poorly mismanaged that some adult volunteers hadn't even undergone
00:56:51
background checks or training the military-style approach and use of forcible weapons was also in direct to
00:56:59
violation of Boy Scout regulations as was the fact that some trainees were sometimes paid to direct traffic and
00:57:07
conduct security detailing it was so problematic that it was easier to start the program from scratch than
00:57:15
try to fix the issues many of the explorers who were trained under Joe glenowitz struggled to
00:57:22
comprehend the truth about their revered a leader a young woman who had trained under Joe
00:57:28
for six years told CNN you don't know how to feel you feel so pissed off and you feel so betrayed you
00:57:37
don't understand it that makes it very difficult to miss him but the Explorers weren't the only ones
00:57:47
who suffered according to the Daily Herald the hunter find Joe's fake Killers cast to more
00:57:53
than three hundred thousand dollars in overtime and other costs Joe's lie about one of his pseudo
00:58:00
attackers being a black man also fueled ongoing racial tensions in the Fox Lake Community where black people were a
00:58:08
minority local black resident Vernon Randolph III claimed that Joe glenowitz had been
00:58:15
harassing him for a year due to his race after Joe killed himself investigators searched to Vernon's house took his DNA
00:58:24
and allegedly pointed a gun at his three-year-old Child Actions that caused Vernon ongoing anxiety
00:58:32
he filed a federal lawsuit against the police department claiming that Joe glinowitz put a Target on his back and
00:58:40
of his fellow African Americans [Music] the lawsuit was eventually settled outside of court for 65 000 although the
00:58:49
department denied any wrongdoing in the wake of Joe's death a memorial had been established outside the Fox
00:58:58
Lake Police Department with a banner displaying Joe's face along with the words a hero remembered Never Dies
00:59:08
when the truth about his suicide was revealed vandals quickly altered the sign drawing an L on Joe's forehead and
00:59:16
changing the words to read a hero forgotten other signs in support of Joe were removed from around the village with the
00:59:27
words GI Joe changed to GI joke Commander George falenko told CNN Joe glinowitz Dishonored what we all
00:59:40
swore an oath to uphold he betrayed not only our profession but his entire community
00:59:48
it was the first time I could actually tell you in my entire career that I felt ashamed to be a police officer
00:59:56
[Music] [Music]