Pennington takes blame for 2006 Johnston shooting — or does he?
One week ago, Atlanta Police Chief Richard Pennington apologized and shouldered the blame for the 2006 shooting death of Kathryn Johnston: “I take full responsibility for what happened.” But not so much in court. Detectives claim arrest quotas pressured them to cut corners in drug investigations. Pennington testified the department had performance standards, but no quotas. And he can’t be blamed, city attorneys contend, “for the illegal actions of a few rogue officers.”
Oversight board bemoans APD’s continued foot-dragging
Atlanta Police Chief Richard Pennington undercut an oversight board by refusing to discipline uncooperative officers, the board’s chairman complained Thursday. Pennington had promised to penalize employees who don’t cooperate with the Citizen Review Board, but Pennington’s directive only calls for discipline if an officer doesn’t show up when the board asks them to. Many officers have been appearing with an attorney but refusing to answer questions.
