By Dick Cook
Chattanooga Times Free Press (Tennessee)
Copyright 2006 Chattanooga Publishing Company
SOUTH PITTSBURG, Tenn. — The chief of the South Pittsburg Fire Department has been suspended for 30 days without pay for “inappropriate behavior toward females,” a city official said Tuesday.
Freddie Cook, an 18-year employee of the city, will be demoted from chief and placed on probation when he returns to work Sept. 27, City Manager Tom Landers said.
“Freddie is a good employee and is community and civic conscious,” Mr. Landers said.
He said Mr. Cook, who also serves as a dispatcher for the South Pittsburg Police Department, had been reprimanded in January for inappropriate behavior toward a woman.
“No criminal charges have been filed,” Mr. Landers said. “It was decided to try suspension and see how it works.”
Mr. Cook declined to comment on the suspension Tuesday.
Mr. Landers said a woman filed a complaint against Mr. Cook earlier this month. The complainant is not a South Pittsburg city employee, he said.
Mr. Landers said Police Chief Mark Garner interviewed the woman and found her complaint to be credible.
Bob Hookey, a city commissioner, said Mr. Landers recommended to the Board of Commissioners that Mr. Cook be suspended.
“We felt at the time that suspension was the appropriate action to be taken,” Mr. Hookey said. “We instructed the city manager to closely monitor Mr. Cook when he returns.”
Mr. Landers said Chief Garner is the acting fire chief for the city.
City commissioners will decide in the next few weeks who will be appointed fire chief of the 25-member volunteer department.
“The volunteer firefighters should have a chief from within,” Mr. Landers said.