It’s great to see that James Rog didn’t drag down with him the youth group he once led.
In June, Rog pleaded guilty to theft after he was caught stealing $6,000 from Elgin Police Explorer Post 1445. No doubt that despicable act — ripping off the very youngsters he was supposedly mentoring for a career in upholding the law — was hard for the group to take. But spirits haven’t sagged. Lessons were learned, and the post has recovered quite nicely.
Policies have been revised. Management has been firmed up, and oversight appears to be better. Communications have been improved, particularly with parents of children who are members of the post, as well as with the post’s companion organization, the Boy Scouts’ Three Fires Council. Rog has paid restitution.
The Explorers’ bond with the Elgin community is as strong as it’s ever been — if not stronger. They gave 1,970 hours of their own time to the city in 2016 in volunteer work ranging from playing McGruff the Crime Dog to helping manage local festivals and events.
Some Explorer members got the chance to receive valuable training at a national Explorer event. Three of the post members are taking college classes toward a career in police work. Things are looking good.
The post launched a review of its program after a police officer in Fox Lake killed himself in an effort to cover up his theft from that village’s Explorer program, which he ran. Authorities say that after Lt. Charles Joseph Gliniewicz feared his scheme would be exposed, he orchestrated his death to make it appear as if he had been shot and killed in the line of duty. He was exposed as the wretch he was, but his victim — the Explorer post — has yet to recover. It was disbanded in December 2015.
Police Explorer posts have the potential to fire up a passion for work in law enforcement at a time when communities are beginning to find it difficult to recruit police officers because of the recent intense public scrutiny on that career.
Elgin Police Explorer Post 1445 is still doing its part to promote police work as a good and honorable thing to do, despite having to deal with dishonor in its own ranks. Keep up the good work.
