Injured Cops Video Mayor Shirley Franklin Propably Dosen't Want You To Watch

May 26, 2009 at 2:48 pm by Andisheh Nouraee Creative Loafing

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.

Please click here to read and sign the petition to reinstate Sgt. Scott Kreher.

See Creative Loafing Here

More On Larry Johnson

DeKalb Audit Exposes $47K In Missing Money

Follow Up On Commissioner Johnson

We have learned there is an active investigation into Larry Johnson. The Fulton County Manager's Office and the Fulton County D.A. are looking into it with no time line for it's completion.

Because it is an active investigation, we cannot go into any great details. As soon as we can, rest assure, we will.

This is more than we can say about our fine District Attorney Gwen Fleming. There is still no word whether she is investigation Terrell Bolton for theft or looking into the Larry Johnson matter. We doubt she ever will.

You Decide

Commissioner Larry Johnson Responds To Our Criticism

Today we received an e-mail from Commissioner Larry Johnson responding to "Commissioner Larry Johnson Must Go".

We thank Mr. Johnson for taking the time to respond to us and our readers. However we believe an investigation by an outside source is warranted and Commissioner Johnson should step aside from any further DeKalb County commissioner meetings until the investigation is complete.

DeKalb County Larry Johnson
1300 Commerce Drive/Decatur, Georgia 30030 DeKalb County Commissioner
District 3
Office 404-371-2425
Fax 404-687-3595
May 27, 2009

To Citizens of DeKalb County,

Tuesday evening, May 18, 2009, the Channel 2 evening news aired a segment that related
to my employment with the Fulton County Office of Healthy Behaviors being in conflict with my serving as the District 3 Commissioner for DeKalb County.

First, let me state for the record, that prior to running for office one of the first things that I did was to ensure that working for one jurisdiction and being an elected official in another would not pose a conflict. In the DeKalb County Code there is nothing that prohibits an individual from working for one jurisdiction while serving as an elected official in another. Additionally, there is no prohibition in the Fulton County Code for an individual to be an elected official in another jurisdiction while being employed with Fulton County.

That said the segment inaccurately alluded to my conducting DeKalb County business while on the payroll of Fulton County. Correctly stated in the newscast I was proactive in notifying all parties at Fulton County, including the County Manager’s office regarding my status as an elected official in DeKalb and the time requirements. As an exempt employee with Fulton County I do work on a flex schedule of four ten (10) hour days which results in easier recordkeeping and tracking of time and which allows me the flexibility needed to attend meetings in DeKalb.

The segment aired also alluded to there being several discrepancies between my time record in HR and the times meetings in DeKalb were held. Although this is a
personnel issue that Fulton County HR should resolve, I feel it necessary to address several gross inaccuracies contained in the newscast.

It is incumbent to note that the ‘schedule’ inaccurately used by the news station that is posted on the web is the general information community schedule of meetings and events taking place in and around District 3 and not my DeKalb County office schedule. The dates the report indicates were in conflict are listed.

The newscast indicated that the time period reviewed was October 2008 – March 2009 and there were other dates in conflict, but these dates were not specified in the newscast nor have they been provided to me for comparison with my records. It was noted in the newscast that scheduled commission committee meetings, posted on the official website were the source of the conflicts.

To help clarify the situation, there are several standing committees to which the Commissioners are appointed. No more than three (3) Commissioners are appointed to a committee and Commissioners do not attend all committee meetings to which they are not assigned. In short, the standard posting of the Committee Schedules is not reflective of the attendance of the Commissioners.

In 2008 I was Chair of the Economic Development Committee which met the third Tuesday of each month, a day I am officially off from work at Fulton County. I was also a member of the Planning & Land Use Committee and this Committee met the second Tuesday of each month --- again, Tuesdays being the day I am officially not on duty at Fulton County as my work schedule is arranged for a 4-day, 10 hour a day work week.

I am an exempt employee with Fulton County and due to the nature of my profession, I work evenings, Saturdays and Sundays on programs sponsored by the Fulton County Office of Healthy Behaviors --- this was not reported. I think that a full disclosure of the information ‘discovered’ by the news station should have been the goal rather than a strategic disclosure of fragments of information that do not reveal the full, true picture.

It has taken time, effort and energy to be subjected to and refute these spurious allegations, yet I will continue to serve the residents of District 3 and also be a dedicated public health official serving the residents of Fulton County and continue to represent DeKalb County to the best of my ability.

It is my hope that the station which aired this broadcast will undertake the same diligence and drive to publicly correct the erroneous impressions that may have been left by this scurrilous journalistic effort. I am deeply saddened that the lead story on a well-respected news station would be that of an elected official taking approved time off (and leave without pay in some instances), to serve the constituents of the District.

It is also my hope that we can continue to move forward with conducting the business of the people without concern that taking on hot button issues will result in attempts such as this to vilify and malign those that stand and fight for the rights of DeKalb citizens.

Since the airing of this segment I have focused my efforts on the celebrations taking place in my life recently -- that of my daughter’s graduation from high school which happened on my birthday and my wife’s graduation on the 23rd and receiving her doctorate; I felt it was vitally important to focus upon family as I am a husband and father in addition to being a public servant. These are once in a lifetime moments that cannot be recaptured once lost.

So therefore, I am now taking this opportunity to correct the erroneous impressions that may have been left by the recently aired news cast.I ask for your continued support and I will continue to serve and defend the will of the people.

Yours for a Better DeKalb,

Larry Johnson


Larry L. Johnson,
District 3 Commissioner

Show Me Yours, I'll Show You Mine

Click here for AJC article

Remember Those Who Gave All

Commissioner Larry Johnson Must Go!

It has been shown that Terrell Bolton stole thousands of taxpayers dollars when he claimed to be working, when in fact he was visiting family and friends in Texas and traveling throughout the southeast. Now it appears a friend and ally of Bolton has been caught stealing taxpayer dollars in the same fashion.

DeKalb County Commissioner Larry Johnson was paid by the taxpayers of Fulton County while conducting commission meetings in DeKalb. As you can see in WSB TV reporter Richard Belcher’s report, the evidence is pretty damming.

Johnson presides over the DeKalb County commission meetings, which can directly affect the police department, be it equipment, personnel or pay. While having his hand in the till, he fought against across the board pay raises for the police department and against equipping us with needed updated equipment.

We call upon Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard to prosecute Larry Johnson to the fullest extent. In the meantime, Johnson should immediately resign his post, or at the very least, step aside until this matter is resolved.

The entire body of the DeKalb County Commission should lead the way by censuring Commissioner Larry Johnson. Do they have the fortitude to do that?

C.E.O. Burrell Ellis has just been handed a major controversy. He appointed Larry Johnson as presiding officer of the commission. How will Ellis respond? Will he demand Johnson step aside? All eyes are upon Ellis.

The citizens of DeKalb should be lined up at the next commission meeting demanding Larry Johnson to step aside. It is time for the taxpayers to show they will hold anyone accountable who violates the trust of the citizenry.

It appears DeKalb County District Attorney Gwen Keyes Fleming has no intention prosecuting Terrell Bolton, in effect letting him escape after committing theft. Will Fulton County D.A. Paul Howard seek prosecution of Commissioner Larry Johnson? Only time will tell.

We pray that the citizens of either DeKalb or Fulton will not tolerate the violation of their trust, or the violation of the law. If they remain quiet, then it will be a sad day in our history.

Bolton's Legacy Lives On, DeKalb 911 Slowest Response Time Of All

WSB TV Jodie Fleishcer Interviews Director Miller

Bolton's Era Of Hires Start To Surface

DeKalb Officer Booked on Sodomy Charges

Click here for AJC article

The Champion Newspaper Introduces William Miller, Director of Public Safety

Meet the new Public Safety Director - The Champion Newspaper

Permanent police chief awaits merit system change

DeKalb County won’t get a permanent police chief until the Board of Commissioners removes the job of chief from merit protection.

Ellis has asked the Board of Commissioners to change the law to remove the police chief’s job from under the county’s Merit System.

The request, which was on the Board of Commission’s May 12 Business Agenda, has not yet made it out of the Public Safety Committee.

District 4 Commissioner Sharon Barnes Sutton, who heads that committee, said she expects the amendment to come before the full board on June 9.

Read more at CrossRoadsNews

A Note From Joyce Ledbetter, Wife of Captain John Ledbetter (Retired)

I know a lot of people view this site and that is why I am here.

If any of you remember/worked with retired Captain John Ledbetter,(31 yr DKPD veteran) he really needs all of your prayers right now. We just found out that he has cancer. It showed up in the bone in his arm, but it originated elsewhere in his body.

They are working now to figure out where. In the meantime, he will see an orthopedic oncologist from Emory early Tues morning.

I am asking for prayers for him and all of our family as we begin the mighty battle that so many others fight every day.

Keep up the good work, stay safe, and God bless you all.

Joyce Ledbetter,

Big John's wife.

A note from DeKalb Officers: Captain Ledbetter was one of the good guys when he worked here. Please keep him and his family in your thoughts and prayers.

Burrell Ellis Makes Right Decision

The C.E.O. is making the right decision by taking away all non-essential take home vehicles, which the majority fall into that category.

A few examples of people or units that have take home cars and are never called out or it is never anticipated they will be called out are: ICP, Inspections, Motor Officers, Staff Aides, Taxi Unit, Record Room Director, TRT Commanders, TAC, Special Ops and Property Crimes detectives that are not on call. You probably could throw in Property Crimes supervisors too.

Maybe with money saved, updated equipment can be purchased or it will contribute to the merit pay increases being put back in place.

Ellis Issues Take Home Vehicle Executive Order

Executive Order - Take Home Vehicles 2009.05.01

Publish at Scribd or explore others:

Watch Where You Eat Boys and Girls

Everyone is so busy answering 911 calls, who has time to eat, much less eat with one (1) or more peers even.

Oh; that's right, how silly of us. Must be some of Gerry's kids: ICP

Meal Break

Publish at Scribd or explore others: Poetry Recipes & Menus health poetry

May 2009 Pension Board Bi-Monthly Meeting Info Now Available

You can check the right side column under Pension/Retirement News or click here.

Thank You Readers and Posters!

We have now surpassed our 500,000th page hit. One half a million and growing strong!

The Obama administration wants to cut almost in half a benefits program for the families of slain police and safety officers

We strive to stay out of national politics, but this directly effects us as police officers.

Just in time for National Police Memorial Week, Obama announces he wants to cut Public Safety Officers' Death Benefits Program from $110 million to $60 million. Budget documents say the reduction is being made because "claims are anticipated to decrease," apparently because the number of officers killed in the line of duty has been decreasing.

According to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund, killings of police officers are up 21 percent so far in 2009, compared to the same period the year before.

Click here for more.

DeKalb Police Memorial

May 6, 2009

Photos courtesy of the AJC

DeKalb police officer helps homeless

By Ben Smith, AJC

A cop who encounters a homeless man can ignore him, question him or arrest him. Or he can simply tell him to move on.

Not Jeremy Turner. In his off-hours, the DeKalb County police officer carries on the work his father died for. Turner’s father, an advocate for the homeless, was killed in 1998 while trying to help build a house for a homeless family.

In 2007, when then-police chief Terrell Bolton set up DeKalb’s community policing program, Turner signed up. He also set out to replace his father’s non-profit. The new organization, Contribute2America, is currently awaiting approval for tax-exempt status, Turner said.

“I think Jeremy Turner personifies the phrase ‘protect and serve,’ ” Joannie Strauss said. “I call him my guardian angel".

Sheriff Brown is sticking it to the citizens of DeKalb and the police department

In 2008, the citizens of DeKalb County paid to the Sheriff’s Department over 12 million dollars for medical services for the inmates housed at the jail. The 12 million dollars is for a state of the art medical ward and staff equipped to handle all health care short of a true emergency or surgery. In addition, the citizens of DeKalb County paid over 32 million dollars directly to Grady Hospital.

You would think for over 44 million dollars a year, the police department would not be forced to spend upwards of over 48 man hours watching over a prisoner who simply complains of a headache.

One of the most dreaded events of any police officer’s shift is arresting someone with a medical problem, be it major or minor. By minor, we mean someone simply complaining they don’t feel good. Tom Brown, the Sheriff of DeKalb County has ordered the medical staff of the jail to refuse any and all arrestees with any type of medical problems, be it obvious or simple complaints, without first being transported to Grady Hospital to be evaluated. The evaluation can take up to 48 hours or longer. That’s 48 hours a police officer has to guard the prisoner and is not on the street. If the arrestee is violent, then that is at least 2 officers off the street.

Grady Hospital has holding cells for prisoners being treated. However, Dekalb County Police are forbidden to use them, even though DeKalb citizens pay Grady Hosptial 32 million dollars a year. The officers are forced to either handcuff the person arrested to a wheelchair or gurney, whichever the case may be. The officers and person arrested must sit in the common hallways, making it extremely dangerous for the officer, hospital staff, the public and the arrestee alike.

What are the citizens of DeKalb paying Sheriff Brown for? Is Sheriff Brown taking advantage of the system by forcing the police department into doing what he is required to do? We say yes he is.

The sheriff is responsible for the housing and medical care of all prisoners in custody, He is skirting his responsibility by forcing the police department to guard prisoners in need of medical attention instead of those same officers protecting the citizens of DeKalb County.

In a time of economic crisis, the commissioners should be looking into saving the taxpayers of DeKalb County every dollar they can while insuring the citizen’s safety and property is protected.

Even though Sheriff Brown is an elected official, the commissioners control the amount of money contributed to his budget. We call for the commissioners to investigate Sheriff Brown’s policy of refusing to accept all arrestees with medical concerns, given the fact he is being paid to do so.

The police officers need to be on the streets fighting crime, saving lives, protecting property instead of being a guard at Grady Hospital.
.

And they call him the Wiz!

Click here for The Champion Newspaper article

Open For Business!

No, we were not gone. No, Director Miller did not have us shut down. No, we have not been subpoenaed. No, we have not been exposed.

Yes, we were having an issue with the Blogger server. Yes, the names that have surfaced are pretty funny.

As a result of the issue, we had to take down the blog for a while. While this meant a lighter work load for us, it's fixed in time for the traditional Friday night drunk blogging.

The best comment received: "Don't drink and drive, Don't drink and dial and for gods sake, Don't drink and blog", Anonymous.