Official: Fox Lake youth program won't have military tone

FOX LAKE, Ill. (AP) — An official in Fox Lake says a police-sponsored youth program that an officer is accused of stealing from before killing himself will return without the military style of its past.

The Explorer program was disbanded following the September death of Lt. Charles Joseph Gliniewicz, with officials noting its militaristic tone and his alleged mismanagement. Authorities say Gliniewicz staged his suicide to look like a homicide because he feared discovery of the embezzlement from the program.

The Chicago Tribune reports teenagers in the program led by Gliniewicz went through sniper drills and staged SWAT raids. Other Chicago-area groups also teach similar skills, and members of two groups went to Arizona in January for a tactical competition.

Village Administrator Anne Marrin says Fox Lake officials plan to bring back the program once the police department is "back on track."