GPD officers Michael (Gene) Wilson, Shelly Cordle, Brandon Walton and Chris Wilson were involved in an approximately 2 to 4 a.m. card game about three weeks ago in the Police Department headquarters when GPD Chief Frank Strickland walked in on them.
An investigation of the situation revealed that, although he wasn’t present during that particular card game, GPD officer Chip Johns had also been a party to the card games in the past, Strickland said.
After a June 1 hearing with Strickland, Gene Wilson, the lieutenant in charge, cried foul and stated, in a letter issued to the media and others, “Chief Strickland advised me that I was being charged with dereliction of duties and failure to supervise my employees for being in a card game while on duty.”
According to Gene Wilson, he was told by Strickland that Strickland would be recommending termination to Smith. Gene Wilson said he believes termination to be a “harsh punishment,” especially in light of the way other personnel matters had been handled at the GPD in the past.
“I do not believe that rules and policies are consistently enforced at the Griffin Police Department,” Gene Wilson said.
Following the June 1 hearing, Cordle, Walton and Gene Wilson resigned, Smith said, explaining that procedure called for him to then deal with the matter.
“I had a conference with them to get their side of the story,” Smith said. “I didn’t get involved with the other three. ... I just accepted their resignations.”
In making his decision about Johns and Chris Wilson, Smith says he examined other similar issues that have happened in the past, looked at the officers’ personnel files and took all things into consideration.
His final decision was to give the officers 40 hours of suspension without pay.
“All of our employees that work for the city are paid to work during the time we are paying them to work, whether they are supposed to be cutting grass on the right of way, enforcing codes or working on the budget,” Smith said. “That’s what they are supposed to be doing, not sitting around playing cards. In this case, I would have expected them to have been doing what they were supposed to be doing. If no calls were coming in they should have been patrolling or checking buildings to prevent burglaries. There’s a lot they could have been doing to benefit the city.”
I grew up in Griffin. Chapeau was always seen as a nose-picking Boss Hogg.
As for community interaction, you obviously know nothing of the multitude of community programs the GPD is involved in on a daily basis.
Are you stupid enough to think he can actually SUPPORT his "men" when they openly violate the public trust. The public expects him to remove said individuals from the department!
That's all we need; a leader who will violate all manner of laws for personal favors for friends. Homer Daniel is one of the most corrupt men in Griffin. The majority of their officers don't trust him, why should the public? He can't even speak or express himself in an acceptable written manner. I guess you fail to realize his great "education" is partly from the same place as the two men you want fired.
As for Virginia Martin, her only claim to anything is being a part of old Griffin money.
As a citizen of the City of Griffin and veteran of the United States Army, I have one question for Chief Strickland and City Manager Smith. Where is your loyalty, to yourselves or the people whom you lead? It amazes me that the only individuals to receive pay raises in this year’s fiscal budget are Chief Strickland and Kenny Smith. What kind of example is being imposing on the individuals you lead? As one examines history, one may find that successful leaders always put the needs of their followers before their personal desires. It is time that the City of Griffin removes this tyrannical selfish régime and installs leaders that have the interest of the men they lead at heart before their personal gain.
As a citizen of Griffin, I recommend that the City of Griffin fire these outside incompetent leaders and hire a new leader from the inside. I recommend that the City of Griffin hire Major Homer Daniel as GPD next chief. He has the education, experience, and training to lead the GPD. He possesses the skills needed to reunite GPD and return the community oriented style of policing back to his hometown of Griffin, Georgia. I also request that Virginia Martin become Griffin’s next City Manager. She has the background and inside knowledge of the City of Griffin to lead Griffin as the next top city government official.
What "false allegations"? As for the police call, there were some questions about several calls. He asked for them to be investigated after he caught them. This investigation showed that on ONE of those calls that he was concerned about that ONE of the offending officers responded. The Chief's integrity is more than intact. As a citizen you should be ecstatic about him wanting to cut out sorry employees that are sitting on their rearends playing cards while their coworkers are handling calls and protecting the public. Maybe you should listen to the whole story and not just what your relative or "good friend" told you since you are obviously listening to one of these officers. I'm just glad that I don't have to work for an agency that still employs two of these idiots.
They were never facing "false allegations". They were investigated and disciplined for willingly choosing to not do their duty.
Every bit of it is open to the public if you are so concerned.
Hopefully a good defense attorney will remind these officers one day when they are on the witness stand about this incident. It should taint any case they are ever involved in. However, if they were patrolling and deterring crime in the first place then they would not have gotten into trouble.
Neither can you judge these officers over one incident.
Food for thought.
If you work for a man, in heaven’s name work for him, speak well of him and the institution he represents…
Remember that an ounce of loyalty is worth a pound of cleverness.
If you must growl, condemn, and eternally find fault, why…resign your position, and when you are on the outside, damn to your heart’s content…
But so long as you are a part of the institution, do not condemn it. If you do, the first high wind that comes along will blow you away and probably you will never know why.
Yes, things at the Griffin Police Department could be much better, and we do have a lot of problems. I have heard a lot of people say that they are trying to make the department a better place. Well I am too. I am trying to make the Griffin Police Department a better place by making Ornnie a better Police Officer. That is all I can really do, and that is all any of us can do. Even if Chief Strickland and Kenny Smith were the roots of the problem, posting a lot of negative comments about them on this blog and talking trash in the sally port won’t change anything. The only way you can make a positive change in this department is to make a positive change in your policing. We all can do better, and there is room for improvement in all of us. Even if it never makes the department any better, at least it will make you a better Police Officer. Even if this is a sinking ship why can’t the crew go down with dignity?
Well that is my two cents. I am sure I have made some of you angry, and I will probably get black balled and talked about. Oh well. It won’t be the first time, and it won’t be the last. My only request is that if you are going type trash about me, or anyone else on here, go ahead and tell us who you are. I am not trying to defend the chief or the city manager or anyone else I just wish we could put this all behind us and every one of us would do our own little part to make things better.
Love me or Hate me Ptl. W.Williams
P.S. I love the comment by City Manager Smith and I quote "All of our employees that work for the city are paid to work during the time we are paying them to work, whether they are supposed to be cutting grass on the right of way, enforcing codes or working on the budget." So when I am driving down our city streets and I see one city worker digging a hole while five others stand around and watch him dig it that's paying them for doing what they are supposed to do? Nice try. You can pack your bags too. Both of you get out of our city!
Card playing guys that aren't good old boys. We know whose important.
Or were you talking about the bad years under Chief Chapeau? Lets look at some of his accomplishments. first to issue hand guns, gun belts walkie talkies take home cars and a new HQ. First and last one to have a fair promotion system. overtime raises, and lots of education. Chief Chapeau would fight for his men every day.
BAD YEARS, I THINK THERE HERE!