By Lauren Gregory
Staff Writer
Chattanooga police officials plan to launch a "fact-finding review" of the circumstances surrounding Assistant Chief Jeannie Snyder's disappearance earlier this week, according to Deputy Chief Mark Rawlston.
"We don't have any definite allegation of any policy violation, but we want our administration to have all the information," Chief Rawlston said. "That's just part of the process."
The chief declined to discuss the future of Chief Snyder's employment with the department. The 19-year department veteran, who was appointed to her position in January by then-incoming Chief Freeman Cooper, is on personal leave.
"I'm not comfortable commenting any further until we have all of the facts in our grasp," Chief Rawlston said Friday.
He said he could not predict how long the investigation, which will be performed by the department's internal affairs division, could take.
Chief Rawlston said during a news conference on Thursday that doctors believe Chief Snyder, 43, had had a toxic reaction to prescription medication. He declined to say why she may have decided to head for a family-owned cabin in Marion County on Wednesday rather than her office.
Police officials launched a large-scale search-and-rescue operation for Chief Snyder on Wednesday that department spokesman Sgt. Rick Mincy said involved about 150 officers from a number of state and local agencies.
Just more than an hour after the teams halted their search for the night, the chief emerged from the dark, wooded area on her own. She appeared to be uninjured but disoriented, officials said.
Chief Snyder's personnel file was unavailable for review Friday, according to officials with the Chattanooga City Attorney's Office, who said they must remove personal information before releasing it to the public.
The chief's internal affairs file is void of any complaints, according to internal affairs division head Capt. Mike Mathis.
E-mail Lauren Gregory at lgregory@timesfreepress.com
