By Andria Simmons and Marcus K. Garner
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
CLAYTON COUNTY, Ga. — Clayton County Police Chief Jeff Turner says he intends to hang onto his job even though the Board of Commissioners is bent on deposing him.
Turner said Wednesday that he was blindsided by criticisms at Tuesday night’s board meeting, which he called a “public display of humiliation.”
The Board of Commissioners has recommended that Turner be reassigned as the director of the Clayton Police Academy, a position that is open due to a recent retirement.
An audit presented by the board cited reasons for the decision ranging from insubordination on Turner’s part to sexual harassment cases within the department to a half-dozen police chases that ended fatally for innocent bystanders. Turner said the audit is inaccurate.
“I did not have any kind of warning that this was coming down,” Turner said. “I would have appreciated if somebody had, like a week ago, sat down and asked these questions. I would have given my rebuttal at that time, and we could have had that behind closed doors.”
Turner, who has been with the department since 1987 and has been chief since 2007, said he plans to fight for his job at another specially called meeting scheduled for 3 p.m. Monday. If he loses the bid to keep his job, Turner said it’s likely he will appeal.
Board Chairman Eldrin Bell said Tuesday night that “the vote says our concerns are very serious,” pointing to a slide presentation that listed 12 issues that caused the board to lose confidence in Turner.
County Chief of Staff Alex S. Cohilas, at the conclusion of the presentation, said it was a shame that the misconduct of a few reflected negatively on the entire department.
“However, it cannot be denied that the referenced issues are serious enough to call into question what organizational and administrative controls are in place at the Police Department,” Cohilas said.
Turner said he would prefer to keep his current job. However, “if it comes to that, then it’s an honor to be in charge of the police academy,” he said.
The commissioners recently appointed a special committee to investigate allegations of sexual harassment at the Police Department, creating tension with the chief.
And last week, commissioners appointed Bell as police commissioner, giving him direct authority over Turner. Bell eventually rejected that move, saying Turner should receive due process.
“The one argument that I made, and will continue to make, is that it is my duty to protect the citizens from undue lawsuits from knee-jerk decisions,” Bell said. “That is why I opposed doing anything to the chief without due process.”
The decision followed a litany of troubles at the Police Department, among them news that a police sergeant had admitted kissing and fondling a recruit during a job interview --- and that Turner chose to demote, rather than dismiss, the sergeant.
Turner again came under fire in September after a police chase that started on Old Dixie Highway in Clayton County ended with the death of two innocent women on Old National Highway in Fulton County.
Other concerns included an audit stating that more than 138 police weapons were unaccounted for, allegations of mismanagement of a crime mapping project that cost the department $109,000 with no evidence of the promised computer software or hardware, and pictures showing a narcotics evidence room in shambles.
“The narcotics evidence room is in disarray and overflowing with drugs (over 2,000 pounds) much of which have destruction orders dating back to 2008,” the presentation read.
There’s also an October 2009 allegation of misconduct within the department, and the charges are so serious they can’t be brought up in public, Cohilas said.
Turner said he was disappointed that he didn’t get to respond to the commissioners’ concerns Tuesday night, and he doubts that anything he does next week will change their minds.
“The picture that they have painted of me is that I wasn’t a good manager,” Turner said. “I intend to set the record straight.”
Copyright 2009 Atlanta Journal-Constitution