CHICAGO (AP) - Charles Joseph Gliniewicz was on the brink of retiring after a 30-year-career in law enforcement. At 52, the tall, tattooed police officer with a shaved head could still be tough and intimidating if the job called for it.
But he also had a sweet side that endeared him to the suburban Chicago village he had served for decades, a place where he was a constant presence at community events and a role model. Now the people of Fox Lake are mourning the officer known affectionately as "G.I. Joe" after he detoured on his way to work to pursue three suspicious men. He ended up with a fatal gunshot wound and died Tuesday.
"Every morning he said he was vertical and caffeinated," recalled Mayor Donny Schmit, a close friend for three decades.
Another longtime friend, Tammy Rivette, wiped away tears as she remembered the father of four who was "always helping people" and "always fair."
"Even the criminals liked him," she said.
Rivette once sought help when someone appeared to be stalking her niece. Gliniewicz contacted the man and "had a nice long chat with him," she recalled.
"And it ended right there," she said.
On Wednesday, police continued searching for the three suspects believed to have shot the father of four sometime after he radioed that he had started a foot pursuit. Authorities broadened the search even as they acknowledged that they had no indication the assailants were still in the area.
There were other tributes across Fox Lake, a village of 10,000 encircled by lakes and forest preserves about 55 miles north of Chicago.
Workers at the Sign Appeal store were making window signs honoring Gliniewicz. They read, "All gave some ... some gave all."
Elsewhere, 17-year-old Devan Arvay held a black flag with a blue line across it in memory of Gliniewicz. Arvay was in a police Explorers post, which introduces young people to possible police careers. Gliniewicz led the group for four years.
"He was always enthused and someone you could really look up to," Arvay said. "A mentor is what he was."
Gliniewicz was planning to retire at the end of the month and had just met Monday with the mayor to ensure that the Explorer post would go on.
The next day, when he first learned that an officer had been shot, the mayor texted Gliniewicz, "Hey Joe. Call in right away. We need you," Schmit said. "And then I found out it was him."