ATLANTA — An Atlanta police officer told the City Council Monday that city employees are not getting the truth about controversial payments to some city employees -- including the police chief.
This comes one day after Channel 2 investigative reporter Richard Belcher revealed a secret audio recording of Chief George Turner himself talking about the payout.
The issue has been simmering since Channel 2 Action News broke the story that six employees were allowed to cash out accumulated leave time while still working for the city.
Mayor Kasim Reed insisted the deals were only for employees facing personal hardship, but Belcher obtained a secret audio recording that seems to dispute that.
By far the largest payout went to Turner, who got nearly $80,000. But in the recording he told a group of officers he had no personal hardship.
"At the end of my three years, my 30 years, George Turner could have retired. Every year since I've been chief, I've lost 250 vacation hours. Alright? When the mayor was reelected, I said 'Mr. mayor, I'm coming to work, and I'm making about $50 more a day that I could make if I retired. He said, uh, chief what do you need? I want you to continue to be chief. And he paid me for my vacation hours. That was his preference," said Turner in the calls.
The chief says he's not contradicting the mayor, because the hardship, in his case, is family medical problems.
"Quite frankly, I think that's all personal situations, medical issues that I refuse to discuss with you or the men and women of the department," Turner told Belcher in an interview.
Monday, the City Council heard from a skeptical police investigator who was in that meeting with the chief.
"We the employees and citizens of Atlanta would like to know the truth. I think we all deserve it. The city deserves it. But it's not what we're getting," said Atlanta police investigator David Canup.
Atlanta council member Felicia Moore says Turner's remarks undercut Reed's claim that the mayor had no role in the payouts.
"It's clear from the chief's statements that the mayor was very much involved in this," she said.
Moore says she isn't buying the chief's claim that his cash-out was completely legal.
Canup called it favoritism.
"We have people throughout this city that are treated differently because of who they know, who they are friends with or what their position is," Canup said.
Moore says the controversy won't go away until, she says, "some of these questions are answered."
WSBTV
