Greeson: Cop problems, good dog finishing first, a thanks to our school board

Jay Greeson
Jay Greeson
photo Jay Greeson

We've all heard the "Nice guys finish last" cliche.

I don't want to believe it, but cliches become cliches by proving to be true over and over.

The saying apparently reaches to our canine friends doing police work.

Meet Gavel, a German shepherd in the 16-month training program to join the Queensland Police Service in Brisbane, Australia.

Gavel was simply too doggone (sorry) nice for police work, preferring to play and get rubbed on the belly than sniff out drugs and chase criminals. Gavel was removed from training, becoming the first police cadet to be excused for being too cuddly.

It ended well for ol' Gavel, however. His story circulated and he actually got a dog- hierarchy promotion.

Gavel was named Queensland's official vice- regal dog after being adopted by Queensland Gov. Paul de Jersey.

Bad seed, bad deeds

News came Thursday that Whitwell, Tenn., police Chief James Rodney Easterly was indicted on a laundry list of serious charges. He also was charged with fraudulent receipt of food assistance, which, like all fraud, certainly should be against the law, but does not really feel in line with the rest of the allegations against him.

Here's the list, and see which one jumps off the page to you:

  • Conspiracy to commit theft
  • Possession of a controlled substance for resale
  • Conspiracy of possession of a Schedule III controlled substance
  • Fraudulent receipt of food assistance
  • Official misconduct
  • Theft of property
  • Coercion of a witness
  • Tampering with or fabricating evidence
  • Possession of a firearm during the commission or attempted commission of a dangerous felony

While you may be humming the old "Sesame Street" song, "One of these things is not like the others " a little research shows that fraudulent receipt of food assistance is pretty awful. It's also known as SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) fraud, and according to the USDA website it centers on dirty dealings with food stamps.

And considering that Easterly had a pretty decent job, it's pretty easy to assume he may have been preying on the poor.

As big a scumbag as Easterley appears to be, it makes it worse that he was allegedly doing it behind the protection of the badge.

Ninety-nine percent of police officers out there already face mistrust; this incident just adds to that narrative and makes the jobs of our good cops that much more difficult.

Sad but true

Has Predators fever caught you?

The Nashville Predators have captured the attention of sports fans across the state, and their fans have turned home games at Bridgestone Arena into an incredible event.

Part of that has been the street parties along Broad Street in downtown Nashville.

Game 6 is this weekend, and Nashville officials expect another big showing.

In fact, the city has positioned dump trucks at each end of Broad Street to make sure no motorists drive in the crowd.

The sad part of that decision is that my first response was, "Man, that's a good idea," rather than "Why would they do that?" Considering today's times, you can never be too careful, I guess.

Saturday stars

I reserve the right to change my mind here, but today, before the superintendent decision is made, I'll salute the Hamilton County Board of Education.

It's fair to say these elected leaders and this columnist have not always seen eye to eye, but I know this has been a long and trying week.

The five interviews with the finalists for the superintendent job have consumed a lot of time and energy. And the board has been focused and very business-like. Board members have done their jobs well this week.

For that, I offer my thanks.

(And my prayers that you make the right decision.)

Contact Jay Greeson at jgreeson@timesfreepress.com and 423-757-6343.

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