City Council members raised questions today about the Chattanooga Police Department’s management of longtime employee Capt. Jeannie Snyder, who according to Cobb County, Ga., police apparently was intoxicated and in possession of a handgun at a Marietta mall on Feb. 7.
At the council’s legal and legislative committee meeting this afternoon, Councilman Leamon Pierce challenged Police Chief Freeman Cooper on why Capt. Snyder — who has been hospitalized at least three times since January 2007 — still is a commissioned officer outfitted with a weapon.
“I personally feel that you’re in the wrong position,” Mr. Pierce said to the chief. “If you can’t manage your department the way it should be managed, I feel like there should be some more action other than this ... What’s going on? What are we shielding?”
Mr. Pierce called for City Attorney Randy Nelson to launch an investigation into the matter, to which Mr. Nelson replied that he saw no grounds to do so and that the issue is within Mayor Ron Littlefield’s purview.
Mr. Littlefield assured council members that he and Chief Cooper have handled the situation appropriately, but that they cannot discuss it because of federal laws to protect private medical information.
“We would love to be able to explain the situation in detail,” Mr. Littlefield said. “We’re not trying to hide anything. We’re just trying to follow the law.”
For complete details, see tomorrow’s Chattanooga Times Free Press.
