Ottawa County news. (Port Clinton, Ohio) 1931-1956, 1949-02-11
Collins Admits Having Seen
Secret Radio Log Before
Making Original Charge

bers, members of the city council
at midnight Tuesday voted to
drop the whole thing and forget
about it" after Councilman Eu-
gene Collins for the third consec-
utive meeting had continued his
complaint investigation against
Police Chief Jack Shelter and his
department.
When asked if he agreed with
Councilman Harold Nielsen, Paul
Schmitt, Carl Waggoner and JUL
ius Jensen in their efforts to stop
the lengthy controversy, Mr.. Col
Inns answered: "Okay. It's all
right with me-"
Councilman William Goebel was
not present as he was undergoing
medical check-ups in Cleveland
Clinic.
Collins latest episode came late
at night after the councilmen,
Mayor Becker and other officials
had argued and discussed import
ant matters for several hours.
Nerves were on edge, tempers
flared and angry shouts marred
the dignity of the chamber.
Four weeks ago Councilman
Collins first opened the controver-
/ sy when he intimated that Chief
Shelter or one of the patrolmen
had been intoxicated while on
duty over a year ago. e He said
he had had complaint and that
the complaining witness said a
check of police records on that
January date would prove him
right.
At the council meeting two
weeks ago, Police Chief Shelter
offered to explain the records sys-
tenn in the police office to Mr.. Col
Inns and to show him the daily log.
Collins had Insisted on seeing the
radio log, which is classified as
secret by the Federal Communi-
cations Commission and is not
supposed to be shown to anyone
not on the police force.
Tuesday night Mr.. Collins re-
ported that he had gone to the
police office "after the last meet
ing" and had checked the records
with the chief. "Jack was very
nice about it,, Collins added.
when l asked to see the radio
log, Jack said, Let's go into my
office and we did,, Collins con-
tinued. "When we got in there,
Jack looked at me and said Il
know you've already seen this
record, Gene and / replied that !
had".
Collins then told the audience
that he had checked both records
before he had made the first COM
plant a month ago. He did not
tell who had given him the auth
ority to look at the secret radio
log or who had shown him where
the year-old records are kept. He
| lnlOTIneu Lilc SOuiiSli lhat VIC 10
dio log is signed by two other
patrolmen than the police who
signed the daily log on the same
date.
At this point, Councilman Har-
old Nielsen asked Collins "what
he hoped to prove by checking
those old records 3"
Collins replied: "I'm not trying
to prove anything. / merely had
complaint that the man was in
toxicated and my information was
that these records would not cor
respond.
Chief Shelter jumped to his feet
and asked Collins: "Are you ac-
cusing me or anyone in my de-
partment? If you are, | either
want you to file a charge, turn
the matter over to the Safety
Committee, or else l don't want to
hear anymore about it,.
Mr.. Collins replied that any fur
ther action would be up to the
mayor or the safety council.
Mayor ExplOdes
1t was then that Mayor Becker,
usually jovial and calm, lost his
temper and shouted at Collins:
"Who are you after, Gene?
What must we do to get him out?
This campaign of yours has drag
ged along for four weeks now and
as yet you've offered nothing but
complaints.
"You insist that the people who
elected you as you put it are en-
titled to having their complaints
checked. I'm sure those people
didn't expect you to harp on one
subject for Il months as you've
done.
"What more do you want,
Gene? You've had plenty of
headlines. We must bring this
to a close some way as it ruins
every council meeting.