CALL IN FBI TO SOLVE CASE OF SLAIN FOX LAKE COP
Bring in the A team. It’s been a month since Fox Lake Police Lt. Joseph Gliniewicz died, shot with his own gun, and investigators seem no closer to solving the mystery of his death.
We need answers. Officer Gliniewicz’s family needs answers.
The FBI should take over this case.
From the beginning, this case has been marked with conflict among the various players. Early on, top members of a police investigative task force met with the pathologist who did the autopsy but didn’t invite the pathologist’s boss, Lake County Coroner Thomas Rudd. The next day, task force leaders ripped Rudd via press release. Such behavior has inspired no confidence among the public.
The FBI, which is getting a new special agent in charge this month for its Chicago field office, could rise above all that and direct everyone’s attention to what matters — solving the case.
Shortly after he radioed on Sept. 1 that he was pursuing three people on foot, Gliniewicz was found dead near U. S. 12 in Fox Lake. He was shot once in the front of his protective vest and once in the upper- left chest area. Investigators said they found indications of a struggle, but tests run to see if Gliniewicz fired his gun himself were inconclusive.
Gliniewicz, 52, was near the crime scene for about 20 minutes before radioing, according to GPS data. The scene was close enough to major roads that any perpetrators could have escaped before a police perimeter was set up. Investigators have nine DNA samples from the crime scene and are taking DNA swabs from people, looking for matches. So far, they have not said they found any.
Most crimes are investigated by local authorities, but there are times when it’s best to call in an agency that both has experience in investigating major crimes and no conflicts in deciding how to proceed. Some people have suggested this is a case of suicide, a finding that co- workers of a man who by all accounts was a dedicated professional might shy away from.
We don’t know what happened. But we think the FBI has the best chance of figuring it out.