According to the Washington Post, it appears that a mass amount of police officers called in sick just before shift change on Wednesday. The ‘coincidental call outs’ align with the timing right after the officer (Garrett Rolfe) who shot and killed Rayshard Brooks was charged with felony murder. Brooks’ prosecutor alleges that Officer Rolfe kicked him while he was still on the ground, after he shot and killed him.
Protesters at the Wendy’s where Rayshard Brooks was killed by the police officer
Though the mayor and the police department did not disclose the exact number of call-outs for work, Mayor Keisha Lance-Bottoms emphasized that the “streets won’t be any less safe” because of the police no-shows.
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Meanwhile, the Atlanta police department issued a tweet denying the massive call-out allegation:
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“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.”
Contrarily, a number of police officers have actually confirmed the rumors by contacting reporters and commentators who support their cause.
“Atlanta police officers are refusing to answer the radio and walking off of the job. The county can go screw themselves if you want a society without police we’ll give you one. Let it burn!” the email reportedly said, per Deace’s Twitter.
Although Atlanta cops may be protesting the charges against Officer Rolfe, critics of law enforcement say that the punishment is justified, particularly in light of the blurry evidence where the officer allegedly kicked Rayshard Brooks.
