Atlanta police officers are still reportedly calling in sick to work in protest of charges against the cop who fatally shot Rayshard Brooks, as it’s announced every officer will receive a $500 bonus for working amid civil unrest.
On Thursday the Atlanta Police Department saw cops continue to call out of work, in protest of 11 charges, including felony murder, announced Wednesday against fired officer Garrett Rolfe.
Despite the call outs, the police force shared a statement insisting it’s able to handle all emergency calls.
‘The Atlanta Police Department is able to respond effectively to 911 calls. Please don’t hesitate to call if you have an emergency,’ the department said Thursday morning.
Thursday’s call outs come after ‘scores’ of officers failed to turn up for work for Wednesday’s evening shift.
For Thursday’s shift ‘most’ officers reportedly called out sick, according to Facebook page Things Police See: First Hand Accounts, a page run by Former Massachusetts police officer Steve Gould who interviews police officers across the country.
Atlanta police officers are still calling in sick to work on Thursday in protest of charges announced yesterday against Garrett Rolfe, the cop who fatally shot black man Rayshard Brooks on June 12. On Thursday the police department tweeted it is able to ‘respond effectively’ to 911 calls following the reports of call outs
On Wednesday evening Atlanta’s police department reported an unusual uptick of officers working the late shift who called out sick after fired cop Rolfe was hit with 11 changes in the death of Rayshard Brooks, including felony murder. Atlanta officers above on June 13
He reported that many officers were ‘busy filling out applications to other agencies outside Fulton County,’ where Rolfe’s charges were filed.
A Metro Atlanta officer told the outlet Thursday: ‘It’s been a hell of a night here and today’s not looking much better, it’s 0700 here with day watch supposed to be starting and no one is showing up either so we may have to go assist now.’
‘This is very sad to see the city this way. I don’t see it getting any better anytime soon,’ the officer added.
In an effort to boost morale the Atlanta Police Foundation announced Thursday it would give every Atlanta Police officer a bonus of $500 as a thank you for their hard work and diligence over the past three months, according to WSBTV.
The foundation said it will also purchase 20 police cars to replace those that were destroyed in protests a few weeks ago.
In total the bonses will add up to more than $2million. The foundation said no city funds would be used to pay for the bonuses.
For Thursday’s shift ‘most’ officers reportedly called out sick, according to Facebook page Things Police See: First Hand Accounts, a page run by Former Massachusetts police officer Steve Gould who interviews police officers across the country. He reported that many officers were ‘busy filling out applications to other agencies outside Fulton County,’ where Rolfe’s charges were filed
A Metro Atlanta officer told the outlet Thursday: ‘It’s been a hell of a night here and today’s not looking much better, it’s 0700 here with day watch supposed to be starting and no one is showing up either so we may have to go assist now’
On Wednesday the police department saw an unusually high sick call volume and multiple reports that officers were not responding to calls in three of the department’s six zones.
The force later walk back claims that coverate was affected, tweeting: ‘Earlier suggestions that multiple officers from each zone had walked off the job were inaccurate.’
‘The department is experiencing a higher than usual number of call outs with the incoming shift,’ but insisted it had ‘enough resources’ to repspond to calls and maintain operations.
According to a local CBS station dozens of officers had called out.
The police union’s director confirmed high sick calls and reports that officers were walking off the job.
‘I have been getting phone calls since the district attorney had his press conference that officers were walking off the job, were not answering calls, and I have been hearing officers were calling in all night last night that they were not coming in to work today,’ Vince Champion, the regional director for the International Brotherhood of Police Officers, said Thursday to the New York Times.
‘We do have enough officers to cover us through the night,’ Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms told CNN Wednesday night. ‘Our streets won’t be any less safe because of the number of officers who called out.’
Atlanta Police Foundation announced Thursday it would give every Atlanta officer a bonus of $500 as a thank you for their work over past three months. Cops pictured clashing with protesters near Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta on Saturday June 13
Massive protests have unfolded in Georgia decrying racial inequality and the police killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Rayshard Brooks. A protest pictured Monday in Atlanta
He said he’s received calls from officers across the department who said they’d stay home in protest of the charges.
‘The morale is terrible,’ Champion said.
‘As a union, we do not support or start the “blue flu”, he said, referring to officers calling in sick. ‘This was not organized.’
Speaking on the call outs on Wednesday evening Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms didn’t share a number on how many officers failed to report for duty, but said moral within the police department is down tenfold.
‘We do have enough officers to cover us through the night. Our streets won’t be any less safe because of the number of officers who called out, but it is just my hope again that our officers will remember the commitment that they made when they held up their hand and they were sworn in as police officers,’ she said.
On June 12 Rayshard Brooks, a black man, was shot dead in a confrontation with Atlanta police officers Garrett Rolfe and Devin Bronsan in a Wendy’s parking lot.
The officers were called to the scene following reports of a man sleeping in his vehicle. Cops awoke him and had him complete a sobriety test, which he failed.
On Wednesday Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard announced 11 charges against Garrett Rolfe, who was fired after he allegedly shot Rayshard Brooks twice in the back on Friday night. Officer Devin Brosnan, right, faces an aggravated assault charge for allegedly standing on Brooks in the parking lot
Former police officer Garrett Rolfe is alleged to have shot Rayshard Brooks (above) twice in the back on Friday night, killing him
When trying to handcuff him Brooks grabbed one of the officera’s Taser and ran from the officers and pointed the stun gun at one of them. Officer Rolfe then shot Brooks twice in the back and he died at a hospital. His death has been ruled a homicide
On Wednesday the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office announced Rolfe has been charged with 11 counts, including felony murder and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, in the killing of Rayshard Brooks.
Felony murder that carries a possible sentence of life without parole or the death penalty.
Fulton County District Attorney Paul said Rolfe kicked Brooks and didn’t give him medical attention for more than two minutes after shooting him.
He also said Brooks was too far ahead of Rolfe for the Taser to pose a danger and it had already been fired twice, so it was empty and no longer a threatening weapon.
Brosnan has been charged on three counts, one of aggravated assault a charge that carries up to 20 years in prison and two violations of oath, including a failure to administer timely medical assistance.
Rolfe was fired after the incident and Brosnan placed on administrative leave.