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Leamon Pierce
After an unanswered call Tuesday for city officials to launch an investigation into the inner workings of the Chattanooga Police Department, City Councilman Leamon Pierce says he plans to bring the department’s management of Capt. Jeannie Snyder to the attention of officials at the state level.
“I’m going to raise questions at the POST (Police Officer Standards and Training) meeting this week,” said Mr. Pierce, who as a member of the Tennessee POST Commission is part of the main regulatory body for law enforcement agencies across the state.
Capt. Snyder has been hospitalized at least three times since Chief Freeman Cooper appointed her to serve as one of his three assistant chiefs in January 2007. She had stepped down to the rank of captain before the most recent event on Feb. 7, during which Cobb County, Ga., police said she appeared drunk and was carrying a department-owned firearm when confronted at a Marietta mall.
Capt. Snyder was not arrested. She was taken instead to an area hospital for treatment for a possible overdose, according to police reports.
Councilwoman Linda Bennett expressed concern for the captain Tuesday at the Chattanooga City Council’s legal and legislative committee meeting.
“She’s a valuable employee, and we want to take care of our employees,” Ms. Bennett said.
But Mr. Pierce raised a number of questions about the department’s handling of Capt. Snyder’s situation. He asked why she still is carrying a firearm, whether the city would be liable should she misuse a gun and why Chief Cooper has not been more forthcoming about specifics of her employment status.
“I personally feel that you’re in the wrong position,” Mr. Pierce told 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 told council members that he and Chief Cooper have handled the situation appropriately, but that they cannot discuss it because of federal laws that 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.”
Chief Cooper criticized the media’s portrayal of the incident, which he said was handled appropriately by the police in Marietta and overseen by department representatives he sent there on his behalf.
“People tell whatever part of the story they want to tell, and there it goes in a whole different direction,” he said. “I was not there. A law enforcement agency was there, and they acted on their own investigation, and I’m fine with that.”
Several council members suggested that something should be done to address public perception of the situation, which they said could erode citizens’ trust in the police department.
“It looks like a double standard happened. I don’t think it did,” Councilwoman Carol Berz said. “I think we might do a better job of (public relations).”
Council Chairman Dan Page agreed.
“I do think in the public eye something needs to be done,” he said. “The community needs to be assured that this will be resolved.”
Mr. Pierce said he was unsure what the POST Commission would be able to do, but said he wanted to at least air his grievance because he felt dissatisfied with what he perceived as a lack of answers from city officials Tuesday.
The commission, which is holding meetings today and Thursday, provides oversight for officer training and standards, Executive Secretary Brian Grisham said last week.
He said the commission “isn’t an independent investigative body. It’s a licensing body that administers the license for an officer to do their job.”
However, Mr. Grisham said, “If the POST Commission becomes aware of someone that’s not qualified, they can investigate it.”
The commission usually takes action only after receiving a complaint or after it is contacted by an individual department, which is required to report when any officer is convicted of a crime or suspended for more than 30 days, he said.
City Councilman Manny Rico indicated he stands behind the city’s actions regarding Capt. Snyder.
“I believe in the chief and the mayor,” Mr. Rico said. “I would hate to think they would sit here and lie to us.”
