Gwinnett’s police chief Charles Walters was suspended for 10 days, and forced to apologize to the Commissioners. Apparently the Chief was upset about…
…“inaccurate information that had appeared in various media forms,” which he believed caused “serious damage” to employee morale within the police department.
“During this meeting, I presented factual information stating the true state of crime in Gwinnett County and the positive impact that our employees were creating,” Walters wrote. “I apologize for using this forum to convey that information in such a blunt manner and any problems that it caused.”
It seems the object of the Chief’s scorn was Commissioner and Chairman Candidate Lorraine Green.
Gwinnett County District 1 Commissioner Lorraine Green, who narrowly lost a Republican primary runoff against County Commission Chairman Charles Bannister earlier this month, said she was told Walters was suspended because he campaigned against her during a staff meeting of about 75 to 100 people the week before the Aug. 5 runoff.
The COMPSTAT meeting is held every two weeks for department supervisors to discuss crime trends. This particular meeting also included some civilians who were there to witness an awards ceremony, Green was told.
“Obviously I am very disappointed that he would choose to take such action, but I think the response by the county administrator speaks volumes, ” Green said.
{ 4 comments }
Bill Simon 08.21.08 at 7:19 am
And…excactly what legal basis did the county administrator use to suspend an unclassified employee?
Zac Billings 08.21.08 at 9:01 am
this is BS. I haven’t seen anything about the Administrator looking into complaints about the sheriff using tax payer dollars to campaign for Lorraine green. The Chief was just standing up for the police when he knew Lorraine and the sheriff had plans to do away with the police.
Bill Simon 08.21.08 at 9:10 am
Zac,
In all due respect, the Sheriff is an elected official and exempt from direct control by the county administrator.
YourFutureLeader 08.21.08 at 9:42 am
What a joke, the police chief provides factual information and gets suspended for it. God forbid we tell the truth. Charlie Walters is a good man, sad to see this has happened to him.
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