Interim Fox Lake Chief: Gliniewicz Should Have Been Fired "A Long Time Ago"
FOX LAKE, Ill. (CBS) -- The interim Fox Lake police chief stepped forward to answer tough questions about the death of Lieutenant Joe Gliniewicz and how it was handled.
CBS 2's Derrick Blakley was there as it all unfolded.
Michael Keller was brought in from the Lake County Sheriff's office to clean up the mess in the Fox Lake Police Department four days after Lt. Joe Gliniewicz killed himself. He says police officers here feel just as double-crossed as the rest of the community.
"These officers feel betrayed," said interim Chief Michael Keller. "It's clear that Joe Gliniewicz did not represent all of the Fox Lake officers. He didn't represent the Fox Lake community."
Hiding behind his good guy image, investigators found Gliniewicz stole from the village for seven years, using the Explorers youth program as his cover. But Keller says the blame goes beyond Gliniewicz himself.
"Joe Gliniewicz is an individual that never should have been on this police department," Keller said. "He should have been gone a long time ago. Obviously, much of the information that did come out relative to his personnel file, I wasn't aware that until it had come out. But he's clearly and individual that they should have gotten rid of a long time ago."
The fact that former chiefs did not, Keller says, calls their judgment into question.
"There's many things I noticed on the outside that weren't right," Keller said. "The department was not run as a police department should have been run…There was no leadership and that's something we brought to the Fox Lake Police Department."
Speaking of leadership, Fox Lake Mayor Donny Schmit took in last night's Bears game in San Diego along with former Police Chief Michael Behan.
It was Behan promoted Gliniewicz to lieutenant and resigned just before Gliniewicz's suicide. Asked about the appearances of that, Keller said, you'll have to ask the mayor.