The admission of ex-Schenectady police chief Greg Kaczmarek and his wife to drug charges is certainly one of the biggest local stories of the year, and the response from the public has been swift.

The comments posted on several of our Kaczmarek stories on DailyGazette.com have expressed not only disappointment over the actions of the former chief, but anger with what many feel is a sweetheart deal. Here's what mikelieman had to say:

I can't believe, when the DA needed to send a message about the duties of those who have sworn Oaths, they wussed out and gave the Kaczmareks a pass.

They should never have given them a plea deal, and prosecuted these people who have VIOLATED THE PUBLIC TRUST to the fullest extent of The Law.

Summer argues that prosecutors could and should have gone farther with their sentence in at least one way:

I think that part of Kaczmarek plea a agreement should have also included he would not be able too collect his pention or any other money from schenectady county.

Moeluv argues that the Kaczmareks didn't get off easy and points out that while this is just the latest example of criminal activity that reflects poorly on the Schenectady Police Department, he is hopeful that this and other convictions will send a powerful message:

I think that it is a shame that so many police officers have been convicted of crimes in a city of Schenectady's population. I hope that the authorities continue to weed out the bad apples. It seems that these officers have been taught that anything goes. To have a Chief of Police admit in court for his role in a drug organization is terrible. Finally I would like to say to all those that believe the ex-Chief and his wife got off easy, the constant is the felony convictions not the jail time. I feel sorry for Schenectady and all of its citizens because its a city that will never light and haul the world again.

Johnny offers an interesting thought on the nature of cops and criminals:

What a shame. I guess you can't trust the police, can you? In order to be a cop, you have to be on the same brainwave of the criminals. The line is right there, a thinly veiled between cops and robbers. Unfortunately, the cops often cross over to the bad side, or abuse their power so much that it is, in essence, crossing the line. Sadly, he gets just two years in prison.

What do you think? Your comments are welcome on any story or blog entry on DailyGazette.com.

ADDENDUM: By the way, for those critical of the DA for his handling of the case, we should point out that the Schenectady County District Attorney's Office played absolutely no role in the prosecution of this drug ring. Prosecution was handled solely by the state Attorney General's Office.