What Will Happen to Money Donated Following Gliniewicz Shooting?

Tens of thousands of dollars were raised, and donated, following the shooting death of Fox Lake Lt. Charles Joseph Gliniewicz on Sept. 1.

But the shocking and recent news that the veteran office had apparently been stealing for years from the Fox Lake Explorers program, and that his death which was originally thought to be a murder was in fact a suicide, halted those donations.

Joe Ahern, CEO of the 100 Club of Chicago, told the Chicago Tribune he plans to ask the that the Gliniewicz family return the $15,000 his organization donated to them in the days following Gliniewicz’s death. It will be the first time in 50 years the organization has asked for its money back.

The group donates funds to families following “line-of-duty” deaths.

“In this case it was not a line-of-duty death. That is clear,” Ahren told the Chicago Tribune. “We will ask the family for the money back.”

As for McHenry Outdoor Theater owner Scott Dehn, the thought of asking that donations raised by his theater in September be returned had not crossed his mind, according to the Northwest Herald. The outdoor theater held a special showing of the movie Superman and raised $5,000, which was deposited in the “Lt. Gliniewicz Memorial Fund” at BMO Harris.

“Despite what came out, I hope we can remember how we came together as a community, and we don’t become hardened or jaded,” Dehn told the Northwest Herald. “We all did the right things for the right reasons. And I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that.”

Motorola Solutions Inc. donated $50,000 to the Explorer post that Gliniewicz ran. That money, company spokesman Kurt Ebenhoch said last week, would be used to help replace funds that were stolen, according to the Daily Herald.

The National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund removed Gliniewicz’s name and photo from its website last week following news surfaced of the embezzlement allegations and suicide, according to U.S. News and World Report. The organization tracks officers killed in the line of duty.

What do you think should be done with donations made following Gliniewicz’s death? Sound off in the comments section.