Clayton County’s police chief is accusing the Board of Commission chairman of undermining his authority by interfering in the daily operations of the police department, according to a memo obtained by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Chief Greg Porter wrote that Commission Chairman Jeff Turner has continually circumvented him and has threatened to fire him on numerous occasions. In one instance, according to the memo, Turner ordered that another vehicle be added to his personal security team, even though police department funds are tight.
In the Nov. 17 memo to the Board of Commissioners and Chief Operating Officer Alex Cohilas, Porter wrote, “Over the past 22 months, I have perceived Chairman Turner’s actions as very unprofessional and disrespectful. Chairman Turner has constantly ordered me to use departmental resources in a less than efficient or resourceful manner.”
Turner said the memo is an indication that Porter “doesn’t want to be managed. He has difficulty with my management style. That’s not illegal. That’s my purview as chairman.”
» READ AND COMMENT: Share your thoughts on Chief Porter's memo
“I have no idea what prompted his memo,” Turner told the AJC. “I really don’t understand from where he’s coming. I’m the chairman and I treat him with the same respect as I do any other department head. If anyone is cognizant of micromanaging the police department, it’s me. When I was police chief, I did not want to be micromanaged.”
Porter also noted that Turner has bypassed him and given orders directly to Police Department employees.
“There have been many incidents where Chairman Turner has tried to intervene with the day-to-day operations of the police department by contacting my personnel and directing them to do something outside my instructions, thus circumventing my authority and the departmental chain of command,” Porter said in the memo. “I have a right to have a work environment free of harassment.”
This isn’t the first complaint Porter has lodged against a county official. Porter filed a hostile work environment complaint earlier this year against former chief operating officer Arrelle Anderson. Anderson was fired last month for unclear reasons.
Turner was ushered into office in January 2013 with a voter mandate to make county government more transparent and accountable. The push for that reform has created internal clashes over the direction of the county and general strife within the Jonesboro administration complex.
County officials closed ranks as the memo surfaced. Commission Vice Chair Shana Rooks declined to discuss it. Commissioners Sonna Gregory, Gail Hambrick and Michael Edmondson did not respond to an email inquiry or phone calls.
Porter declined to elaborate on the contents of the memo, referring the matter to county attorney Christie Barnes. Barnes told the AJC that the commissioners had not given her the authority to discuss the matter.
Porter inferred in the memo that Turner might have lingering hostility that developed when he was forced out as police chief.
“Chairman Turner is constantly making statements of his dissatisfaction of me not contacting him when he was on administrative suspension in 2009 during his investigation when he was terminated,” Porter said in the memo.
Among Porter’s other concerns:
- Turner denied several requests to replace police vehicles when fleet maintenance deemed them unserviceable, making it tough for Porter to effectively plan and manage his department's fleet. Yet at a recent meeting, he approached Porter about buying a new Tahoe for his security detail.
- Turner ordered Porter to staff the tax commissioner's office with police officers for security. Porter told Turner that that duty belonged to the sheriff's department. Turner said he did not want to leave that office without protection. Sheriff Victor Hill withdrew his staff from that duty when he took office.
- Porter said Turner told him numerous times, "I run the day-to-day operations of this police department and that the police department belongs to me." Porter cited one particular occasion when Turner came to his office and "pointed to everything in my office, including my personal family photos and stated, 'Everything belongs to me'." Turner did not comment on that allegation.
While Turner addressed some concerns in the memo, he said, “I’m not going to hash this out in the media before the board takes a look at it. He’s got a complaint, and we’ll take a serious look at it.”
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