Atlanta says they can still police city after cops call in sick as protest

The Atlanta Police Department claims that they still have enough resources to police the city after officers called in sick in protest after charges brought against an officer.

On Wednesday, June 17, officers with the Atlanta Police Department stopped responding to calls in three of the city’s six zones, according to reporting from CNN.

The alleged walkout occurred shortly after prosecutors announced that they would issued 11 felony charges against recently fired Atlanta Police Department officer Garrett Rolfe for his role in the shooting death of Rayshard Brooks on Friday.

The Atlanta Police Department issued a statement on Wednesday evening denying claims of a “walkout” by police officers.

“Earlier suggestions that multiple officers from each zone had walked off the job were inaccurate. The department is experiencing a higher than usual number of call outs with the incoming shift. We have enough resources to maintain operations & remain able to respond to incidents,” the Atlanta Police Department said.

On Thursday morning, the Atlanta Police Department issued a follow-up statement assuring the public that the department had sufficient resources to respond to calls: “The Atlanta Police Department is able to respond effectively to 911 calls. Please don’t hesitate to call if you have an emergency.”

Also on Thursday, the Atlanta Police Foundation announced that every officer with the Atlanta Police Department would receive a $500 bonus as a thank you for working long hours during the Coronavirus crisis and protests.

As civil unrest and protests sweep the nation in the wake of several high profile officer-involved deaths, U.S. truckers have said that they are uneasy about the idea of delivering to cities with compromised police departments.