This situation with Police Chief Snyder’s alleged affair reminds me of a story my dad once told me when he was in the military. One day a woman came running to his commanding officer screaming that she caught her husband, who was one of this commanding officer’s soldiers, cheating on her with another woman. The woman demanded that the commander make an example of this man and dishonorably discharge him immediately. The commander calmly responded “Ma’am, if I fired every soldier that had an affair we wouldn’t have an army.”
Now I’m not condoning any indiscretion Mr. Snyder might have committed. But I am saying this man, by most accounts, is a great police officer. And, like everyone else, he makes mistakes.
Police work is hard, stressful and a pretty thankless job sometimes. But this man has devoted his career to protecting the public. So let’s not get carried away and forget some of the good things Wes Snyder has done.
Respectfully Yours,
Charles Bikas
* * *
I'll be sure and remind his wife of that.
Michael Burns
* * *
I agree 1,000 percent - police officers have a high stress job, so ole Wes was just getting him some 'stress relief' with that woman, which has nothing to do with his duties as a police chief, and he wasn't wasting taxpayers money either. He was being very thrifty and frugal in that mini warehouse on the cheap....what the heck is wrong with that?
We are left wondering whether he was forced to resign, or if he had a guilty conscience, or if his brow-beating significant other forced him to do it?
Donald Woods....Knoxville
* * *
I was struck by the people, ones who don't live near Cleveland stating an opinion about Wes Snyder. He was caught with his pants down. That is a fact. It does not help matters to air his dirty laundry in public.
He should have, no I take that back, he does know better. He has seen it a hundred times be the demise of a person in public office.
I applaud faithful, honest men and women in public office, that don't lose sight of their goals and those of the people they serve. Two of my children were born in Cleveland, and my husband was born there too. I have watched Wes Snyder since he was a rookie. His parents didn't teach him to be a cheat. He taught himself that trait.
Julia Buckner
* * *
Don't know the man. But I do know a man who said, "Let he who is without sin cast the first stone."
Ed Bradley
* * *
Mr. Bikas must be busily working behind the scenes to gain co-producer status for an upcoming episode of Storage Wars - "Don't Come a Knockin' if my Storage Unit's Rockin' ", featuring an unusual array of characters, excuse the redundancy.
At least credit can be given to Ms. Marr for using her own funds. Someone needs to write a new verse to "Low Rent Rendezvous." Amazing Rhythm Aces, where are you?
Hutchins Smith
* * *
Chief, what were you thinking? Well, we know some of what you were thinking about. But I'm certain you in your police work have told folks many, perhaps hundreds or thousands of times that actions have consequences. And the degree of stupidity factors in greatly.
If I choose to have six double scotch and waters then drive (I do not) in Cleveland I should be stopped and suffer the consequences. If I drink that much and don't drive but make a drunken fool of myself I would probably be laughed at and perhaps told to leave a place where others are bother or annoyed. So "slings and arrows" are fair game.
Yes, sometimes it is one of those "build a thousand bridges" situations, and that seems like that might be some the case here. But the degree of stupidity rates real high and is a humorous embarrassment to Cleveland and the South in general which provides more than their fair share on a continued basis. You've given material to local, regional and national comedians.
So with that being said, there could be a new opportunity in reality television. "Storage War Whores," perhaps.
Michael Lawrence