Last Monday, 52 year old Fox Lake Illinois Police Lieutenant Charles Gliniewicz; a 30 year veteran was shot and killed in the line of duty. He was married and the father of four boys. As an honorably retired law enforcement professional, I am as saddened as anyone of the murder of Lieutenant Gliniewicz who was jokingly called “G.I. Joe” by his colleagues and friends.
His murder has shocked the close knit Fox Lake community and has launched a massive manhunt in the area, looking for three possible suspects described as only one black and two white males. Hundreds of officers; swat teams, K-9’s and helicopters have swarmed the area since the murder, looking for the killers.
Late Wednesday night, 30 year old Kristin B. Kiefer of Vernon Hills called in a report to police that two men attempted to “carjack” her in the same area, which sent over 100 officers, three helicopters and eleven K9 units in the area in an intense search for the armed and dangerous suspects. The wooded area was saturated and combed for over five hours in vain.
The plus-sized Kiefer maintained her report was accurate and later admitted that she made it up because “she wanted attention from the family that employed her as a nanny.” She also admitted that she was aware that a manhunt was under way in the same area making her claims more believable; at least initially.
WTF? Wanted to get attention from the family who employs her as a nanny???
Does this sound familiar? A woman making a false report to law enforcement about being a victim of a crime, this time an alleged car-jacking, but this time it involved suspected cop killers, and who wanted to get “attention?” Hmmmm? Sounds like a little Munchausen going on in that clouded little noggin of hers.
A woman making a false report to law enforcement spurring the deployment of over 100 law enforcement officers, K9’s, helicopters, vehicles, equipment, weapons and an extremely high state of stress and tension at the cost of tens of thousands of dollars, and diverting resources and attention away from their original purpose of being in the area; tracking down cop killers.
Does this sound familiar yet? How many times have we read on these pages of the epidemic of false reports of restraining orders, domestic violence, and sexual assaults in the general population and on campus and in the military? While we constantly read these articles on these crimes, we sometimes forget of the costs of sending law enforcement officers out on a wild goose chase. We forget about all of the other professionals; including women who get drawn into these circus acts whose efforts have to diverted into a hoax.
No one has reported and no one knows how many of the officers at this scene and search for the suspects were women, but it can be realistically assumed that some of them were.
We forget about the waste of tax-payer resources for these wild goose chases and we also forget of the inherent dangers that could occur. Dangers to the searching officers, the terrain, the officers in helicopters, the dangers to the K9’s and the potential dangers to members of the general public who may have been misidentified by the officers as being the suspected cop killers. Can you imagine if a black or white male, normal resident of the area was mistaken by law enforcement officers conducting that search, and what their reaction would have been? I can tell you from experience that it would have been a highly tense situation with a high likelihood that an innocent man could have been severely injured or killed by those officers who simply want to do their jobs, arrest the perpetrators, and go home alive.
The potential for tragedy was enormous and the wasted resources and time taken away from actually searching in the correct area for the suspects is also enormous. Another thing that needs to be considered is that this time delay may have allowed the suspects to get out of the area which further puts law enforcement officers and members of the general public at risk.
All because of the lie of one woman.
When women lie about being abused or raped, we condemn the lie as we should, but we sometimes forget about all of the resources that swing into action based on that lie.
This is another in a long list of examples where the lie of one woman has an impact on so many others, has drained valuable resources away from the actual problem and has drained the tax-payer coffers. Not only that but this woman’s lie could have gotten somebody killed or seriously injured.
The obviously personality disordered Ms. Kiefer has been arrested and charged with filing a false police report and disorderly conduct. She could face prison time up to three years and may be held responsible for the tens of thousands of dollars of tax-payer resources that were wasted.
There has been no outcry of Kiefer’s arrest and everyone would certainly agree that she should have been arrested and charged, and should be jailed and fined.
The irony is that when a woman makes a false report of abuse or sexual assault; wherever that occurred, professionals; men AND women swing into action and do their jobs to look for perpetrators, investigate crimes, secure, retain, and evaluate evidence and crime scenes, utilize forensic facilities, medical facilities, prepare crime broadcasts and notify the public and engage in a host of other activities to keep the public safe. But when it is done in these circumstances, the usual cadre of hysterics cries foul when a false accuser of domestic violence or rape is held accountable.
I ask; what the hell is the difference? Both waste resources, time, energy, money, and personnel, and no one is going to cry foul at the arrest of the bloated Ms. Kiefer, but if she reported being the victim of a rape and it was later determined to be false; and in this case by her own admission; if she had been arrested and charged with filing a false report of a rape, the screams of “FOUL” would be heard around the blog-o-sphere.
Maybe we shouldn’t hold the walking-talking DSM-V, Ms. Kiefer responsible for reporting a false car-jacking because, you know; it would deter other women from falsely reporting being the victim of a car-jacking.
So the next time we read on these pages of another, in a seemingly endless stream of false reports of abuse or sexual assault, let’s just think about all of those wasted resources that affect everybody; including women, and take away valuable resources and time away from real and true victims.
And let’s hold false accusers accountable, no matter the crime. Let’s not say it’s ok for someone to be arrested and charged for this obvious false report, but not ok if the victim falsely claims to be the victim of abuse or rape. It’s the same and the same resources were wasted.
Having said that, let’s all give a thought and a prayer to Lieutenant Charles Gliniewicz and his family, friends and colleagues, and to all of the honest, ethical, and dedicated law enforcement officers, both men and women.
Sources:
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/illinois-manhunt-woman-lied-about-seeing-suspects-amid-hunt-for-cop-killers/
http://patch.com/illinois/grayslake/overnight-manhunt-suspected-cop-killers-volo-stemmed-false-report-0
