Savannah Morning News Sunday Headline Article

The story headlined “Trouble in the Cop Shop” is in itself troubling. The headline is deceptive. “Trouble in a police department” usually refers to corruption in the line of duty, allegations of physical abuse, officers planting evidence or “testi-lying” in court. Nothing of the sort is involved here.

The fact is that we are dealing with two employees, acting separately, who allegedly committed misconduct. The allegations are serious — and we are dealing with both cases appropriately. They have been reviewed by prosecutors for possible criminal charges and, in both cases, no criminal charges were forthcoming. That is one of the reasons for the length of the investigation. Both cases also involve financial issues —again, investigations that take time. We want solid, complete investigations - not a rush to judgment that could permanently damage a public safety employee.

The print and web version of the paper states that an officer is on “indefinite suspension.” That is incorrect. There is no such thing as an “indefinite suspension”. Officers have rights and we honor those rights. There is a process in place for fair and thorough investigations. And that is a key point of this post.

Sunday’s story was written and published before the Savannah Morning News got all the reports and the facts of the two cases. In this case, one personnel case is still open and hence we cannot provide any information and in the other case, we are in the process of completing the close-out paperwork and then complying with the Open Records Act request from the newspaper. In other words, in its effort to be first, the Savannah Morning News wasn’t exactly right. If the newspaper had waited just a couple of days, they would have had all the facts, all the details and could have produced a more accurate and complete story to pass on to its readers. With a complete story, the citizens in this community could make their own informed judgment regarding these officers.

The Metro Police Department prides itself on our accountability and transparency. We work hard to provide timely, accurate information to the media and the community we serve. We work hard to hold our 800-plus staff accountable. We hire from the human race, not “Planet Perfect”, and sadly sometimes folks don’t make good decisions. I fully agree and support the news media’s right, and in fact obligation, to cover these stories – but they must be reported completely and accurately.