Six weeks before a new mayor was to replace him, and one day after publicly acknowledging his responsibility for the 2006 police killing of 92-year-old Kathryn Johnston, WSB-TV reports Atlanta Police Chief Richard Pennington resigned today.
UPDATE: Read Mayor Franklin’s response below in comments.
(CL file photo Joeff Davis)
Just six weeks before he’s scheduled to be replaced by the city’s next mayor, Atlanta Police Chief Richard Pennington has at last publicly apologized for the police killing of 92-year-old Kathryn Johnston. Johnston was gunned down on November 21, 2006 while defending her home from police officers executing a bogus drug warrant..
“I take full responsibility for what happened,” said Pennington to a memorial gathering at Lindsay Street Baptist Church, not far from Johnston’s former home.
It’s not at all clear what Pennington means by “full responsibility.” Responsibility for the killing? The cover-up? For not cutting short his vacation and returning to Atlanta immediately upon finding out his officers gunned down a 92-year-old woman in her home? Is he going to resign? Is he going to lock himself in jail as penance? Is he going to return the three-years of city paychecks he’s been drawing since the killing?
I know. I know. I probably shouldn’t be too hard on Pennington. After all, it’s clear the guy’s hurting a lot inside. As he explained at the memorial yesterday, “[w]e went through some difficult times and no one felt it more than I did.”
Did you catch that? NO ONE felt it more than Pennington. The only thing that hurts more than getting shot five times is being a lousy police chief.
(Photo by Joeff Davis)
For months now, Councilwoman Mary Norwood has insisted, promised, all but swore on the baby Jesus that if she’s elected mayor, Atlanta’s next police chief would be hired from within the ranks.
Despite her denials, many observers figured she must already have someone in mind. Otherwise, it wouldn’t seem to make much sense to narrow your options like that. Sure, Pennington didn’t work out so well, but it’s considered a best practice for cities of our size to conduct a national search for such important positions.
Still, Norwood repeatedly defended her decision at one forum after another, explaining that she wanted a chief who was already familiar with the local geography. As she told the AJC: “It takes them a long time for them to figure out where Adamsville is, where Moores Mills is and Browns Mill is.” (Psst — that’s why Al Gore invented GPS.)
Well, WABE radio reports that, just yesterday, Norwood flip-flopped and signed a pledge sponsored by a local human-rights organization stating that she’d undertake a national search for the next top cop.
Yesterday the Atlanta city council approved a plan to hire 50 new police officers using federal stimulus funds.
In January, Mayor Franklin announced her intention to grow the city’s police force to 2,000 officers. The city had 1,633 officers at the time, meaning Franklin was promising to grow the size of the force by 22 percent in a single year – nevermind the department’s net loss of approximately 200 officers between October 2007 and January 2009. When critics called her proposal unrealistic, cranky Franklin lashed out.
According to the AJC, the city now has “more than 1,700 sworn officers.” I’m no math whiz, but I’m pretty sure 50 plus “more than 1,700″ does not equal 2,000.
The critics were right. Franklin’s January 2009 proposal was ridiculous.
Correction: In earlier version of this post, I incorrectly described APD’s overall size during Franklin’s two-terms. I apologize.
There were four notable things to take from Atlanta Police Chief Richard Pennington’s press conference today about the Sept. 10 raid at Atlanta Eagle:
Which begs the following questions:
Thanks to some Obamabucks from Washington, D.C., Atlanta residents could see more police officers patrolling the streets — possibly this fall.
Vice President Joe Biden today announced $1 billion in economic stimulus funds to hire 4,700 police officers in cities across the country. The funds will be administered through the U.S. Justice Department’s Community Oriented Policing Services, or COPS, program.
Atlanta’s set to receive $11.2 million of that loot — enough to hire 50 police officers. (You can view a PDF of Atlanta’s award letter here.)
That’s a far cry from the 200 officers Mayor Shirley Franklin had hoped for earlier this year. But after a weekend of high-profile shootings, killings and carjackings, it’s good news for a city that looks safer on paper than it feels on the streets.
In a statement about the funding, Atlanta Deputy Chief George Turner said:
…the goal is to have a recruit class this fall with the 50 new recruits. Once the officers are trained they will be dispatched into the community. The police department is proud and happy to add 50 new officers to the force, said Chief Turner. All the positions awarded under the grant must be used to initiate or enhance community policing in the City of Atlanta.
There’s a catch, however.
Question 1: Where do accused killers go when they escape police custody?
18 year-old Matthew Wells went to his girlfriend’s house after he escaped Atlanta Police custody on July 8. You may recall, Wells gave a tender on-camera shout-out to his girlfriend after he was captured.
Still no word on why it took approximately 20 hours for the Atlanta Police Department to notify the public of Wells’ escape. I suspect there never will be.
Question 2: Where do designer jeans go after they’re stolen in-bulk from Atlanta area clothing stores?
They cover the asses of amoral people who turn a blind eye to blatant theft.
In the past, I’ve predicted the mass theft of flat-screen TVs will revive the market for large, difficult-to-steal tube televisions. Now, I’m starting to wonder if Toughskins are poised for a comeback.
From the AJC’s report that Atlanta Police arrested three males this morning for an attempted robbery near Georgia Tech:
Police found a loaded AK-47, body armor and a ski mask inside the suspects’ vehicle, Redmond said.
Dyana Bagby of the Southern Voice gives a thorough update on the killing of Patrick Boland, a 43-year-old gay man who was stabbed in Piedmont Park early in the morning hours of May 28. Bagby reports that Atlanta police still have no leads and are investigating the killing — and the stabbing of another gay male that took place shortly after Boland was attacked — as possible hate crimes.
When police arrived at Piedmont Park May 28 to investigate Boland’s death, there were several people in the park, some hiding in the bushes because they were there after the park’s closing time at 11 p.m.
But Willis said he does not care who was in the park for whatever reason on that night; he just hopes someone will come forward with a clue to solving the crime and helping Boland’s family find closure.
“The amount of blood at the scene and the blood trail — he ran quite a ways,” Willis said.
“Someone had to have heard something, him screaming or calling for help. There had to be some kind of altercation. One witness we did talk to was worried about being arrested. That [being in park after hours] is not a concern to me; that is low on my list,” Willis said.
Interesting details about why police don’t think robbery played a role in Boland’s killing is in SoVo’s article.
The AJC reports one of the two suspects arrested after yesterday’s shoot-out with police at Clark Atlanta University escaped shortly after being taken into custody.
I would tell you his name, give you a description, or post a photo, but the APD hasn’t made any of that information available. The department’s media advisory web page hasn’t been updated in more than a month.
UPDATE 5: WSB reports the escaped suspect was caught today on Magnolia Way in Northwest Atlanta; Magnolia Way is only five blocks from Clark Atlanta University’s campus.
UPDATE 4: WSB reports the suspect escaped police headquarters YESTERDAY. I corrected the description above to reflect that.
So the guy escapes yesterday and police wait at least 14 hours to tell the public? And still no photo or name?
UPDATE 3: Atlanta Police has a Twitter account. It contains no information about the escaped suspect. In fact, the page is completely blank.
UPDATE 2: WSB has video footage of the escape, but still no name or mug shot.
UPDATE: Atlanta police say the escaped suspect is wearing a red t-shirt and jeans with a large rip on the left leg. Why police aren’t sharing the suspect’s name or circulating a photograph is a mystery.
Number of reported burglaries, larcenies and automobile thefts in Atlanta in 2008: 38,978
Percentage increase in Atlanta property crimes in 2008, compared to the previous year: 7.6
Percentage that property crime decreased across the country in 2008: 1.6
Number of times a Poncey-Highland gym was broken into in the first weeks of June: 5
Number of intown bars hit in one night in May by thieves apparently looking for flat-screen TVs: 4
Number of times a Midtown clothing boutique was hit by “smash-and-grab” burglars in May: 2
Total number of burglaries, larcenies and thefts that occurred in Atlanta during the first three months of 2009 (most recent statistics): 7,980
Number of same crimes that occurred during the first three months of 2008: 8,804
Atlanta’s rank in a disputed survey of the nation’s most dangerous cities: 2
Sources: Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Atlanta Police Department, FBI Annual Crime Statistics, Real Clear Politics
The Atlanta City Council has decided that Police Chief Richard Pennington must comply with an oversight committee’s request to release documents related to the police shootings of Kathryn Johnston and Pierre George.
According to an Atlanta City Council spokesman, the Committee on Council:
Issued a subpoena at the request of the Citizen Review Board to compel Atlanta Police Chief Richard Pennington to produce requested documents as well as the criminal investigation file regarding the police shooting of Kathryn Johnston.
Issued a subpoena at the request of the Citizen Review Board to compel Atlanta Police Chief Richard Pennington to produce requested documents as well as the criminal investigation file regarding the police shooting of Pierre George.
UPDATED: Cristina Beamud, executive director of the Atlanta Citizen Review Board, tells CL:
“On behalf of the board, we’re very pleased. And we thank the Committee on Council and, most importantly, Chair Felicia Moore for her support on this issue. The public still has a lot of questions about what went wrong, and what we can do to make sure [what happened], or something similar, doesn’t happen again. And we don’t think there have been enough answers if people are still asking those questions…It’s very difficult to give constructive criticism unless you know what caused it and how it can be prevented.”
Sgt. Scott Kreher
Before he made his unfortunate outburst last week at City Hall, Sgt. Scott Kreher was prepared to deliver the Atlanta Police Union’s budget suggestions. His talking points, which bulletpoint the various problems wrong with the Atlanta Police Department’s management, can be viewed here. They’re also pasted after the jump.
Also, a group of residents have started a petition to reinstate Kreher. After he apologized for his comments, the APD placed the 17-year veteran on paid leave pending a psychological evaluation.
From the petition’s intro:
The undersigned citizens of Atlanta want Sgt. Scott Kreher back on the job, with his pay and benefits fully restored and no adverse impact to his status and standing in the Atlanta Police Department. These citizens want Mayor Franklin to accept Sgt. Kreher’s apology and to meet with the above-described injured officers, or to make sure their medical costs are covered in a timely and efficient fashion as described by the city’s workers compensation policy.
As of this posting, the petition had received more than 65 signatures.
(Photo by Joeff Davis)
AJC Political Insider Jim Galloway posted a video this morning I suspect Mayor Shirley Franklin doesn’t want you to watch.
The video shows five men and women severely wounded while on duty as Atlanta police officers. Each claims the city is denying them medical benefits they need, and to which they are entitled.
Why do I assume Mayor Franklin doesn’t want you to watch it?
Simple.
Because she’s spent the last week dodging questions about the video’s subject matter.
During the same week, however, Franklin has somehow found the time to launch an administrative, legal and public relations assault against APD union leader Sgt. Scott Kreher, the man who presented the video the city council.
Admittedly, Kreher made himself an easy target.
While speaking to city council last week about Atlanta’s alleged poor treatment of police officers severely wounded while on duty, Kreher said he’s so frustrated with Mayor Franklin’s intransigence that he feels like hitting her on the head with a baseball bat.
It was an ugly figure of speech for which Kreher apologized. But Franklin won’t move on.
She has evidently decided to use Kreher’s slip-up to once-and-for-all silence Kreher; one of her most persistent and (until last week) effective critics.
First, Franklin told Fox 5 she interprets Kreher’s statement as a literal physical threat meant to intimidate her and her family, even though it clearly an ugly metaphor for extreme frustration. Franklin says she wants a local, state and, FEDERAL investigation into Kreher’s comment.
Strange. When Atlanta residents express their fear of actual crimes, the mayor mocks them with cherry-picked stats. Hurt Franklin’s feelings, however, and she’ll summon federal help.
But wait. There’s more.
On Saturday, Franklin’s APD toady Chief Richard Pennington suspended Kreher from active-duty pending a psychological examination. Using a mental health bureaucracy and the stigma of mental illness to destroy a political opponent is a time-honored political tactic — in Russia.
Why is Franklin bending over backward to destroy Kreher? My guess is that she’s desperately hoping you won’t pay attention to his message.
So watch the video.
And if you still feel like blaming someone for drawing attention away from the important issue of benefits for wounded cops, go ahead and blame Kreher or Franklin if you’d like.
But remember, Kreher distracted us by accident. Franklin is doing it on purpose.
You can spend all day wagging your finger at Atlanta Police Union chief Sgt. Scott Kreher for his inappropriate comment last week. You know, the one he said at City Hall about wanting to hit Mayor Shirley Franklin in the head with a baseball bat?
You can debate whether Kreher’s frustration over delayed compensation claims to five injured Atlanta police officers forgives such an outburst by a 17-year veteran of the force.
But to do all that does nothing to address the problem that Kreher says has festered in City Hall, one that’s reportedly led to back-and-forth legal challenges and injured officers allegedly being stonewalled for medical treatment.
What this issue needs is a little bit of sunlight. Let’s take a quick look at the contracts the city’s signed — and re-signed — with NovaPro Risk Solutions, the San Diego-based company that’s handled employees’ compensation claims since 2004, back when it was known as Ward North America Inc.
Just so, you know, we’re up to speed when this issue comes back up for discussion.
Sgt. Scott Kreher, one of Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin’s most persistent and effective critics, stepped in a big pile of poop this week when he told the city council he’s so frustrated with Franklin’s unresponsiveness that he’d like to hit her in the head with the baseball bat.
Given the context of the original statement and the wording of Kreher’s quick apology, it was clearly an ugly metaphor. It stretches credulity to say Kreher’s comment was a threat.
Well, Shirley has decided to stretch credulity.
Here’s what Her Majesty Honor told Fox 5:
“I think it’s intended to intimidate me, my family and city officials. I think it’s very dangerous language and when someone says they want to take a bat and hit you in the head, from my experience, they want to kill you,” said Mayor Franklin.
The mayor apparently had nothing to say about the source of Kreher’s frustration, her administration’s poor treatment of wounded police officers.
And that’s why Kreher’s comment was so infuriating. He handed Franklin a stack of victim cards. Now she’s playing them.
A couple weeks ago, I said Mayor Shirley Franklin owes an apology to Atlanta Police Department Sergeant and union chief Scott Kreher for some nasty and factually incorrect comments she made about him.
Well, yesterday Kreher told the city council he gets so frustrated with Franklin sometimes he wants to beat her head with a baseball bat.
So, about that apology, um, nevermind.
Kreher’s comment was inexcusable.
Holla!
From the Atlanta Police Department:
The Atlanta Police Department Special Enforcement Section with the assistance of other APD Units served a warrant yesterday in Southwest Atlanta. As a result of the warrant several people were arrested and numerous items were seized. Among the items were 4 firearms, 3 flat panel televisions, ammunition, bolt cutters, 1 purse, 2 designer shirts and 10 pair of designer blue jeans. A news conference will be held today at 10:00am on the 2nd floor of City Hall East to provide further details.
If you recall, Fox 5 reported a suspected link between some of the “blue-jean bandit” robberies and the 30 Deep Gang. Jonathan Redding, the teen who was arrested in connection with the John Henderson murder, was suspected to be a 30 Deep member.
UPDATE: The AJC’s Mike Morris has more details:
Two adults and three juveniles, ranging in age from 14 to 25, were arrested, and police said four of the suspects are known members of the “30 Deep” gang that was recently connected to the Jan. 7 killing of Grant Park bartender John Henderson.
However, police said Friday that they had not been able to connect any of those arrested Thursday night to Henderson’s slaying.
Grayson Daughters spoke with Atlanta Police Union President Scott Kreher at the most recent Atlantans Together Against Crime rally in Midtown. Topics included how the organization will endorse a candidate in the Atlanta mayor’s race, what role the community plays in fighting crime, and what’s needed to end police furloughs.
In March, the Atlanta City Council unanimously passed a resolution urging Mayor Shirley Franklin to introduce a budget that ended police and firefighter furloughs. Last week, the mayor granted its request. Council is expected to vote on the budget in June.
MAYOR SHIRLEY FRANKLIN OWES APD SGT. AND POLICE UNION LEADER SCOTT KREHER AN APOLOGY: He's waiting. (Photo by Joeff Davis)
Shirley Franklin owes Atlanta police union head Sgt. Scott Kreher a public apology.
Speaking at the Atlanta Press Club in January, Mayor Franklin announced her intention to grow the Atlanta Police Department from 1,633 officers to 2,000 officers by the end of 2009.
Franklin has been promising for years to grow the force to 2,000 officers.
But APD isn’t growing. It’s shrinking.
In October 2007, the city claimed to have 1,833 police officers. By January, the force was down to just 1,633 officers. And the city’s police union says the police force’s attrition rate is accelerating.
If Mayor Franklin couldn’t grow the force to 2,000 officers during her first seven years in office, it was implausible and laughable of her to suggest she might pull it off in her final year.
The Mayor’s suggestion was so laughably implausible, in fact, Atlanta police union chief Sgt. Scott Kreher laughed and called it implausible when the AJC asked him what he thought.
Kreher’s laughter so irritated the notoriously thin-skinned Mayor, she published a bizarre open letter calling his comments “divisive.” Furthermore, she suggested his criticism could undermine efforts to rally the city residents behind growing the police force — a slimy, roundabout way of insinuating Kreher’s attitude is a threat to public safety.
So who was right, Franklin or Kreher?
A recent email to residents from an Atlanta Police Department zone commander underscores the difficulties the department and Atlantans face when it comes to crime — but it also stresses the need to remain aware and vigilant.
In a Tuesday morning email to neighborhood groups, Major Khirus Williams says Monday night saw a rise in robberies and carjackings. Williams says that recent furloughs have reduced the number of street patrols and that criminals are “becoming more brazen.” In the email, he offers tips residents can use to stay safe and reduce the likelihood of crime.
Needless to say, some of them are pretty depressing. But “more with less” and all that.
Please read this e-mail and alert our citizens that we had robberies and multiple car jackings throughout the City of Atlanta (metro wide) last night, including your area.
Please, let us all keep our exterior lights on to illuminate the area. This makes the area unpopular for criminals!
Also, please have your family, friends, and neighbors to blow their horn when arriving. This allows us to watch for them until they arrive, inside, safely. Open the window dressings and hi-light them with a flash-light. Thus, the criminal element would be aware that someone is watching!
The state Senate passed legislation today that would allow Atlanta residents to decide if they want to pay extra for more police officers and firefighters.
State Sen. Kasim Reed, a Democrat from Atlanta who’s also a front-runner in the mayor’s race, sponsored the bill.
Dave Williams of the Atlanta Business Chronicle reports:
Legislation asking Atlanta voters to tax themselves to pay for additional police and fire protection cleared an important hurdle in the General Assembly Thursday.
The Senate voted 30-23 to hold a referendum in the city in November on a plan to raise property taxes to hire more police officers and firefighters.
…
Reed said the legislation is modeled after a bill the General Assembly adopted allowing a sales tax referendum in Atlanta to pay for water and sewer improvements, which won approval from 71 percent of city voters. He said the property tax increase would expire after four years unless reauthorized in a subsequent referendum.
The bill now moves to the House. If approved, Reed says the owner of a $250,000 home would pay an additional $6 a month on their property taxes. The senator received some guff from his colleagues, who said Mayor Shirley Franklin and the City Council could resolve the dispute over raising taxes vs. cutting public safety themselves. But Reed says the problem can’t wait for a new administration in City Hall.
Richard Pennington
UPDATE: Pennington says he hasn’t been contacted for the position. The White House declines to comment. We clasp our hands and pray Atlanta’s favorite soul patch — he’s after the jump below — is not named the next DEA chief.
CBS Atlanta reports that Atlanta Police Chief Richard Pennington is being eyed to head the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. Or maybe not?
A [APD] spokesperson says the department has not been informed of this information and they could not comment.
[CBS Atlanta reporter Joanna Massee] e-mailed Mayor Shirley Franklin to see if she was aware Pennington was being considered for a position at the DEA. A spokesperson for the mayor said, “While Mayor Franklin is unaware of the opportunity in your email she thinks, ‘Chief Pennington is a terrific and highly effective law enforcement official and who has served Atlanta with distinction.’”
Pennington sent an email to CBS Atlanta and it said, “I have no knowledge that I’m being considered for any federal law enforcement position. Furthermore, I have not been contacted by anyone in Washington.”
New Orleans media outlets are abuzz about the rumor. Pennington was the city’s former police superintendent before heading to Atlanta. Eager to put a stop to all the madness, CL contacted its fictitious high-level sources at the federal agency. Turns out there’s been some confusion.
The killing of John Henderson sparked Atlanta resident awareness about crime.
Kyle Keyser is a founder of Atlantans Together Against Crime, a grassroots citizen group that raises awareness about the city’s growing crime problem. In an open letter to Mayor Shirley Franklin and City Council that Keyser asked CL to publish, he says the community is fully engaged, but residents’ trust in their elected officials is slipping. On Feb. 23 from 5 to 7 p.m., ATAC will hold its second monthly rally at the corner of Martin Luther King and Joseph E. Lowery Boulevards.
An Open Letter to the Mayor and Council of Atlanta:
Lately, it seems, when you can’t fight crime with police officers you fight it with numbers.
“Things are better today,” you insist, and you reach back over the years to compare crime rates. Never mind the property crime increase here or another senseless murder there. You act as if this is all in our heads, perhaps being exacerbated by neighbors – and neighborhoods – too quick to react.
Madam Mayor & Council members – with all due respect – stop patronizing us. We are not children who are scared of the dark for no other reason than its darkness. Criminals are lurking in our streets and perpetrating horrible crimes on all sides of Atlanta. Maybe they are not killing or assaulting us as much as they did in your comparison years but they are breaking into our homes and our cars, they are robbing us of hard-earned possessions, and they are stealing our privacy, our peace, and our sense of safety with alarming frequency.
The three former Atlanta police officers involved in the 2006 shooting death of a 92-year-old woman will be sentenced Monday on federal civil rights conspiracy charges.
Former officer Arthur Tesler pleaded guilty to the charge last October. The other two officers, Gregg Junnier and Jason Smith, cooperated early on with the FBI and entered guilty pleas. (Tesler initially declined a plea offer.)
All three men also faced state charges. Junnier and Smith could serve up to 10 years after pleading guilty to voluntary manslaughter — though their sentences could be reduced due to their cooperation. Tesler, who was sentenced to four years on a lesser state charge, faces 10 years on the federal one.
In November 2006, the defendants and a handful of other Atlanta cops executed a search warrant at 92-year-old Kathryn Johnston’s Neal Street home — a warrant based on false information that illegal drugs could be found inside. After firing 39 rounds at Johnston and killing her, the officers planted drugs in her house to cover their tracks.
Monday’s sentencing is expected to last for several hours and might continue on Tuesday.
