March 02--The head of the Lake County Major Crime Task Force is stepping down, authorities said.
George Filenko, best known as the public face of the controversial investigation into the death of Fox Lake police Lt. Charles Joseph Gliniewicz, is leaving his job as commander of the task force as of April 1, according to a news release from the force. Filenko, who has been on the force for 11 years and led it for the last six, will remain an advisor, authorities said.
It was unclear Wednesday whether Filenko planned to keep his full-time job as Round Lake Park police chief, and he could not immediately be reached for comment.
The job of leading the multijurisdictional task force, a group created in the early 1990s to investigate homicides, has changed hands periodically. Filenko has been involved with more than 200 homicide investigations, according to the news release.
Vernon Hills Police Chief Mark Fleischhauer, chairman of the task force board, said in the news release, "George Filenko is responsible for taking the task force to a new level of professionalism during his tenure as task force commander. He's restructured the way the task force handles homicide investigations, officer involved shootings, and in-custody deaths. I'm extremely proud of the extreme dedication, professionalism, integrity, and hard work of George during his tenure, there's no doubt he will be missed as commander of the task force."
"Throughout the past 11 years, George has given up vacations, anniversaries, birthdays, and many other special occasions. Not to mention the fact, George has contributed thousands of hours of unpaid time working cases for the citizens of Lake County. I'm very happy for George, he can finally spend some well-deserved time with his family and have some relaxation" Fleischhauer said.
The task force board will start looking for a new commander soon, according to the release. For the near future, Zion Detective Kyle Helgesen will act as commander.
Since its inception, the task force's reputation has repeatedly been marked by cases in which police quickly reached a conclusion that would be contradicted by evidence. Three of the force's murder cases -- none of which involved Filenko -- have crumbled following the revelation of physical evidence indicating officers had locked up innocent men who spent years behind bars, though the personnel largely responsible for those cases are no longer with the group. The force was founded in-part by former Lake County State's Attorney Michael Waller, who retired in 2012, his reputation tattered by shaky prosecutions.
The most recent controversy surrounded the task force's handling of the inquiry into Gliniewicz's shooting death in Fox Lake Sept. 1.
Gliniewicz had radioed just before he was shot that he was pursuing three men, and authorities conducted a massive, fruitless manhunt for his killers. Filenko and other authorities spent weeks insisting they were investigating the death as a homicide and turning back persistent questions as to whether it could have been a suicide. In early November, Filenko and other Lake County authorities announced the evidence had led them to conclude that Gliniewicz had killed himself as it became increasingly clear that his alleged extensive thefts from the village would come to light.
Dan Hinkel is a reporter for the Chicago Tribune and Jim Newton is a reporter for the News-Sun
