Chief George Filenko\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Guest Author<\/span><\/p>\n The events of September 1, 2015 were a life changing experience not only for me but for thousands of officers that somehow became a part of the Lt. Joseph Gliniewicz saga.\u00a0 \u2028\u2028On that hot, humid, sunny day radio traffic no officer ever wants hear was broadcast, \u201cOfficer Down. Lt. Joseph \u201cGI Joe\u201d Gliniewicz had been found mortally shot.\u2028\u2028\u00a0 Nothing could prepare my team, or me, for the roller coaster ride of emotions we were about to experience for the next two months.\u00a0 The stress, pressure, both internal and external would take a toll on even the most seasoned veteran.<\/span><\/p>\n Recently I was discussing this case with one of my Assistant Commanders.\u00a0 He made a comment that he felt that I was going to quit the case twice.\u00a0 I laughed at his observation and responded telling him, at a point \u201cI considered quitting everyday!\u201d\u2028\u2028\u00a0 The national climate was such that another killing of a police officer seemed as if the police were under attack.\u00a0 The national media immediately occupied the town of Fox Lake. The parking lot of the small town police station was filled with satellite trucks displaying banners of every known media outlet in the country.\u00a0 Several police officers had been murdered throughout the country within the past two weeks.\u00a0 The interest in the the slaying of another police officer, especially one with the name \u201cGI Joe,\u201d was too much temptation not to cover.\u00a0 This incident went viral immediately.<\/span><\/p>\n Within hours rumors began circulating that this was an \u201can inside job\u201d, a mob hit, suicide, a drug deal gone bad. As Commander of the Lake County Major Crime Task Force, one of my many responsibilities include providing my team with not only the resources to get the job done but to shield them from external and internal pressure so they can focus on the task at hand.\u00a0 No incident than that of a murdered police officer can generate as much anger, loss of regular thought process and an obsession to find the killers quickly.\u00a0 All of these emotions are contrary to a thorough investigative process.\u00a0 \u201cWe would rather take our time and get it right then rush to conclusions and get it wrong.\u201d\u00a0 This always needs to be the mantra in a thorough investigation.<\/span><\/p>\n The media\u2019s demand for information under the guise of public safety was overwhelming. I\u00a0 agree that the public\u2019s right to know is essential and using the media as a means of relating information is extremely effective.\u00a0 However, the investigation takes priority and limits us.\u00a0 Errant release of information could derail an investigation and damage prosecution down the road.\u00a0 Controlled release of information is a requirement, not an option.<\/span><\/p>\n One of the first things that became apparent was the need for a Public Information Officer (PIO).\u00a0 The Lake County Sheriffs Office had taken charge of the search for the suspects.\u00a0 To their credit and my thanks they immediately reached out and offered the assistance of their PIO, Detective Chris Covelli.\u00a0 Chris soon became one our greatest resources. He came in the perfect place at the exact time he was needed.<\/span><\/p>\n The daily briefings with the media became more and more antagonistic.\u00a0 The questions more repetitive the stress began to wear us down.\u00a0 Had it not been for Chris and my two Assistant Commanders, John Erik Anderson, a brilliant investigator in charge of a team specifically assigned to do the victimology on Gliniewicz, and Kyle Helgesen our operations Commander who was an expert in violent crimes, I\u2019m not certain any of us would have made it through this case. \u00a0We instructed our Investigators to avoid watching news reports and prohibited them from discussing the investigation outside of our team. \u00a0We wanted them to focus on the investigation and not be influenced by outside speculation, opinion and criticism by so called experts who had no idea what information or evidence we were dealing with.<\/span><\/p>\n I recalled recently watching a documentary about the 1985 Chicago Bears. One piece of information I pocketed was then quarterback Jim McMahon, whether knowingly or not, taking the stress and pressure away from his teammates by being the focus media attention.\u00a0 As much as I dreaded that role, in retrospect, I hope in some way it took away the anxiety and stress from our team.<\/span><\/p>\n With the assistance of the FBI\u2019s elite Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU), our conclusions were unequivocally confirmed that this was a staged scene made to appear as a homicide to cover a suicide.\u00a0 We were relieved that the truth was finally uncovered and leery of the onslaught we knew was headed our way.<\/span><\/p>\n November 4, 2015 was the day we chose to make the announcement of our findings. \u00a0A press conference was announced 12 hours ahead of time. \u00a0An entire day of preparation was spent projecting the questions from the media. \u00a0The day of the news conference began at 8:30 AM and ended 20 individual interviews later at 9:00 PM. \u00a0Much of that day remains a blur. \u00a0I have only one regret about a question that was asked by an extremely hostile reporter.\u00a0 She asked if I thought I owed the residents of Fox Lake an apology for deceiving them. \u00a0I finally was beginning to feel the stress and regretfully only answered her with a simple \u201cNo\u201d. \u00a0In retrospect my answer should have been the individual who owes Fox Lake an apology is Gliniewicz, he betrayed his community, his oath, his badge.<\/span><\/p>\n As a critical incident response instructor I have trained hundreds of police executives, command level officers and first responders. \u00a0Part of this training involves a segment on police stress. \u00a0I\u2019ve found that many officers are open to discussing critical incidents involving themselves in a forum with their peers. \u00a0It provides them a unique outlet and gives them an opportunity to express openly the effects and emotional scars these types of incidents leave. \u00a0We left that day regretfully never discussing this case as a unit, many of us returning to our regular assignments without the benefit of a critical incident stress debriefing.<\/span><\/p>\n Returning home to family and attempting to ease back into a normal routine was difficult. \u00a0Without a support network of family and friends the adjustment to normality, whatever that is, would\u2019ve been impossible.<\/span><\/p>\n There is no shame in speaking to professionals who are expert in helping us through a personal crisis. The years of suicides, homicides, child abuse cases take a toll on each of us, these incidents chip away at you slowly and methodically without notice or warning. \u00a0Gliniewicz committed the ultimate betrayal, taking his own life and damaging those of dozens perhaps hundreds.\u00a0 Don\u2019t let this kind of thing happen to you or one of your men.\u00a0 Seek help when you need it.\u00a0 Schedule what is needed for mental health.\u00a0 An critical incident is not over when the bad guy is caught or the terror has stopped.\u00a0 It goes on.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Site Editor:\u00a0 Gary S. Aumiller, Ph.D. ABPP<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n Please share this article from down below.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n Please join the email list on the top of the sidebar and you can get these sent to your email.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n Come back regularly for more updated articles on police psychology<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<\/body>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Investigating \u201cG.I. Joe\u201d | A Critical Incident Chief George Filenko\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Guest Author The events of September 1, 2015 were a life changing experience not only for me but for thousands of officers that somehow became a part of the Lt. Joseph Gliniewicz saga.\u00a0 \u2028\u2028On that hot, humid, sunny day radio traffic no officer ever wants […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[17168888],"tags":[17168910,17168797,17168831],"class_list":["post-2119","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-information","tag-glineiwicz","tag-police-psychology","tag-police-stress"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":3158,"url":"http:\/\/policepsychologyblog.com\/?p=3158","url_meta":{"origin":2119,"position":0},"title":"Police Psychology | Officer Involved Shootings – Collateral Damage","author":"Gary Aumiller","date":"June 30, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Police Psychology | Officer Involved Shootings - Collateral Damage Chief George Filenko, Round Lake Park Police Department It was early New Year\u2019s morning 2006. The phone rang jolting me out of a sound sleep. The gruff voice on the other end of the phone was then Task Force Commander Bill\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Rank and Leadership"","block_context":{"text":"Rank and Leadership","link":"http:\/\/policepsychologyblog.com\/?cat=17168887"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":2239,"url":"http:\/\/policepsychologyblog.com\/?p=2239","url_meta":{"origin":2119,"position":1},"title":"Police Psychology | Critical Incidents in Law Enforcement","author":"Gary Aumiller","date":"May 13, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Police Psychology | Critical Incidents in Law Enforcement by Doug Gentz, Ph.D.\u00a0 Guest Author Unusual and sometimes disturbing experiences are just part of the job of a Police Officer. As they proceed through their careers, officers typically take these experiences in stride. At some point, an officer may have an\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Mastering Resilience"","block_context":{"text":"Mastering Resilience","link":"http:\/\/policepsychologyblog.com\/?cat=17168882"},"img":{"alt_text":"07Critical Incident","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/policepsychologyblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/Critical-Incident-RR-300x191.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":4600,"url":"http:\/\/policepsychologyblog.com\/?p=4600","url_meta":{"origin":2119,"position":2},"title":"Police Psychology: Be the Solution, Not the Cause","author":"Gary Aumiller","date":"November 1, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Police Psychology:\u00a0 Be the Solution, Not the Cause by Lt. Jason Childers, Texas We frequently hear about how stressful police work is, and the sacrifices we make in the service of our community is an oft-repeated narrative in police circles. The jerks we deal with on the street, the trauma\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Rank and Leadership"","block_context":{"text":"Rank and Leadership","link":"http:\/\/policepsychologyblog.com\/?cat=17168887"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":54,"url":"http:\/\/policepsychologyblog.com\/?p=54","url_meta":{"origin":2119,"position":3},"title":"Book Review: Crisis Negotiations: Managing Critical Incidents and Hostage Situations in Law Enforcement and Corrections","author":"Gary Aumiller","date":"January 15, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"I have been honored to give keynote addresses at a couple conferences for the Texas Hostage Negotiators and the FBI Crisis Teams and found them to be a very different type of cop.\u00a0 They are humble but at the same time show a lot of confidence.\u00a0 They have a way\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Books"","block_context":{"text":"Books","link":"http:\/\/policepsychologyblog.com\/?cat=17168876"},"img":{"alt_text":"crisis negotiations","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/policepsychologyblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/crisis-negotiations-244x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":3213,"url":"http:\/\/policepsychologyblog.com\/?p=3213","url_meta":{"origin":2119,"position":4},"title":"Police Psychology | The TRIAD: A Department\u2019s Own Superheroes","author":"Gary Aumiller","date":"July 7, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Police Psychology | The TRIAD:\u00a0 A Department\u2019s Own Superheroes Nancy K. Bohl-Penrod, Ph.D., San Bernardino, Calif. Peer support has been around for ages.\u00a0 In the 1950\u2019s and 1960\u2019s peer support programs began to emerge at the Chicago Police department, the Boston Police department and NYPD.\u00a0 They called those willing to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Rank and Leadership"","block_context":{"text":"Rank and Leadership","link":"http:\/\/policepsychologyblog.com\/?cat=17168887"},"img":{"alt_text":"XEER","src":"http:\/\/policepsychologyblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/XEER-300x276.bmp","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1007,"url":"http:\/\/policepsychologyblog.com\/?p=1007","url_meta":{"origin":2119,"position":5},"title":"Police Psychology | EMDR for LEOs","author":"Gary Aumiller","date":"January 26, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Police Psychology | EMDR for LEOs By Tammy McCoy-Arballo, Psy. D. The Counseling Team International, San Bernardino, CA \u00a0 No, it is not hypnosis. That is how the conversation usually starts when I talk to my clients about treating their trauma with Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR). Doc, if\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Stories"","block_context":{"text":"Stories","link":"http:\/\/policepsychologyblog.com\/?cat=1"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p60sbO-yb","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/policepsychologyblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2119","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/policepsychologyblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/policepsychologyblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/policepsychologyblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/policepsychologyblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2119"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/policepsychologyblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2119\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2206,"href":"http:\/\/policepsychologyblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2119\/revisions\/2206"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/policepsychologyblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2119"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/policepsychologyblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2119"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/policepsychologyblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2119"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}\u201cWisdom is the right use of knowledge\u201d Charles Haddon Spurgeon\u2028<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Media Day<\/h3>\n