Word: Have you seen APD Chief Richard Pennington?
August 1, 2009 at 12:27 pm by Thomas Wheatley in NewsAfter a July 25th weekend marked by the carjacking of a City Councilman, the killing of a pro boxer and the shooting of an Edgewood resident, Atlanta Police Chief Richard Pennington was once again criticized for his noticeable absence.
“At this particular time, I do not know.”
— An Atlanta Police Department spokesman tells CBS Atlanta on July 29 he didn’t know the chief’s whereabouts.
“I was surprised to watch a recent press conference regarding crimes near the [Georgia Tech] and see the Atlanta Police Department represented by a lieutenant and a sergeant. Where was the chief? Leadership matters, and he hasn’t mattered. His absence has been an issue.”
— Former Atlanta Deputy Chief Lou Arcangeli in a July 30 AJC article.
““I want the critics to know that I have not ‘checked out.’”
— Pennington, who says he was at a mandatory training conference in Virginia during the crimes, at a July 30 press conference.
August 1st, 2009 at 12:49 pm
So the Chief was at a “mandatory training conference”, but the department didn’t know where he was at the time.
“mandatory training conference” = “hiking the Appalachian Trail”???
August 2nd, 2009 at 1:42 pm
The Chief is leaving, so it doesn’t really matter.. but, someone should look into this “mandatory training.”
August 3rd, 2009 at 1:51 pm
Didn’t he say he was retiring at the end of the year? Seems in that case, he could’ve been excused from aforementioned “training” and save the city a few bucks.