COMMISSIONER CALLS FOR CHIEF'S SUSPENSION

HITCHCOCK - Hitchcock City Commissioner Sharon Enge called for the
suspension of Police Chief Glenn Manis Monday night, but no other
commissioner supported the idea.

Enge moved to suspend Manis for three days for providing what she called
false information to a commissioner. The motion didn't receive a second.

Manis said the information was inaccurate but was merely an honest mistake.

The questions arose after drugs being held as evidence vanished from the
police department on Aug. 23.

A total of 2.8 ounces of cocaine and 4 ounces of marijuana from three
separate cases disappeared.

"I was informed that drugs were missing from the police department," said
Enge. "I had to almost pull teeth to get information. In the letter that
(Manis) gave me, he said he gave the officer who last handled the drugs a
drug test at Forward Edge. I checked with the company and found out there's
no record of any Hitchcock officers being tested between then and now."

Manis said he was mistaken about the dates.

"I had my dates wrong," said Manis. "The officer was tested, and the
results came back negative, but it was before this incident."

Enge said she's not making any accusations, just looking for information.

"I'm not accusing the officer at this point," Enge said. "I'm just trying
to figure out what's going on."

Manis said the disappearance represented a breakdown in a system that
worked well for a decade.

"We had a system, and it worked for 10 years, but it broke down," Manis
said. "We now have safeguards in order, and we hope this doesn't happen again."

Manis said there is no chance one of his officers took the drugs.

"We think this was something a trustee absconded with," said Manis.

Manis said the drugs were being readied to send to a state laboratory for
testing and could have been taken by a prisoner working at the facility.

Manis said he harbors no hard feelings toward Enge.

"She's just doing what she feels is the responsible thing to do," he said.