A group of clergy and community activists are calling for county officials to reinstate former Clayton County police chief Greg Porter saying his removal was unjustified and retaliatory.
Porter was removed as police chief June 29 and reassigned to run the county's 911 emergency system.
Some 200 signatures accompanied the letter, which was delivered to the five commissioners Monday. The letter comes several weeks after members of Concerned Citizens met with Chairman Jeff Turner and commissioner Shana Rooks. Group leaders said if Porter is not reinstated they would march in protest.
“We elect our county commissioners to oversee the affairs of this county,” the Concerned Citizens of Clayton County’s letter to the commissioners stated.”There are more pressing issues for the (commissioners) to tackle. But instead, the board has chosen to get bogged down with a controversial issue such as the unjustifiable removal of our police chief.
Turner said Monday he had not seen the letter yet but said it was clear from his meeting with the group that “they were only hearing from Greg Porter about what transpired.
“As far as I’m concerned he’s still in a position of importance as 911 director,” Turner said. “He still has a job and gets paid $120,000 a year. He has a take-home car that he’s allowed to drive out of the county. He still has 100 percent of his benefits. “
The letter praised Porter’s work as police chief, citing a low crime rate, a “high degree of professionalism” displayed by police officers and holding officers accountable when they overstepped boundaries. It also cited Porter’s efforts to create a diverse force by hiring Hispanic and Asian officers.
“We don’t agree with his assignment to 911 department,” group member The Rev. Joseph Wheeler told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Monday.“(Porter) has done too much for the county.”
A long-time community activist and former local NAACP president, Wheeler worked 15 to 20 years ago to get more black people hired and promoted in law enforcement in Clayton. That work along with demographic changes has since led to two black sheriffs and until June two black police chiefs. Turner, the county's first black police chief, was removed from the job in 2009 based on allegations of insubordination and mishandling of sexual harassment complaints against officers. The accusations were later proved unfounded. He was reassigned to run the police academy shortly before it closed. Porter replaced him as police chief.
Wheeler said Monday group members who met with Turner and Rooks felt there was no evidence to support Porter’s removal.
The letter disputed some of the reasons Turner cited for removing Porter as police chief, and offered some support. Among the points raised:
• The department’s alleged high attrition rate. “When we looked at other police departments in the metro Atlanta area we noticed that the attrition numbers are similar,” Wheeler said.
• An independent study evaluating the police department found “Porter was balanced in his decision in hiring and promotions,” Wheeler said. The study was paid for by the county.
• Porter received high marks on his two most recent job reviews. “We informed the chairman that what he was saying didn’t square with the facts about Porter’s job performance,” Wheeler said. “We have to conclude that this is some kind of retaliation and we’ve told Mr. Turner so.”
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