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COLUMBUS, Ga. — Before we delve into the developments surrounding police chief Freddie Blackmon, we at the Muckraker would like to take the opportunity to address the brave men and women of the Columbus Police Department.
TO OUR FORCE
To the men and women of the Columbus Police Department:
Over the past several months, you have tested your mettle against unprecedented levels of violent crime. Still, you have held the line.
Through the austere challenges presented by the absence of unified leadership, you have courageously found ways to lead each other. You held the line.
Against staggering odds the likes of which would have utterly destroyed the will of most, you valiantly chose to wear your shield anyway and defend our city. You held the line.
NOW HEAR THIS: From this day forward, there has never been a better time to be a Columbus Police Officer.
You have proudly and bravely held the line. Now it’s time to move that line forward, together.
Will you lend our city your expertise, your wisdom, your professionalism, and your insights?
Will you help guide our city to best harness your power?
Will you help us to seize this rare opportunity to build the single best Police Department in the nation?
If that sounds like a vision worthy of your pristine martial talents, it would really mean a lot to have your hand in its creation.
There has never been a better time to be a Columbus Police Officer.
Our city looks forward to watching your success.
A SEVERANCE ACCEPTED
After a months-long saga over the city’s chief of police, Freddie Blackmon has accepted a severance package from the city in the amount of $400,000 among other benefits.
While Blackmon’s retirement will officially begin on April 30, he has also accepted a paid administrative leave, beginning immediately after the signing of the agreement on April 6.
The announcement came after a special meeting was called by city council with only a single item on the agenda: a “motion to go into executive session to discuss matters of personnel and potential litigation.”
After entering the closed-door executive session at 3:04 p.m., a handful of local residents waited in the lobby for the council to reconvene.
According to WTVM’s Katrice Nolan, Blackmon also waited in the lobby by the crowd, but stood by himself; he did not interact with anyone nor did anyone in attendance appear to interact with him, according to Nolan.
Council publicly reconvened after exiting executive session at 4:16 p.m., announcing that no votes had been taken while in the closed-door session.
A RESOLUTION READ
Immediately after reconvening, Mayor Skip Henderson introduced the city attorney, Clifton Fay, who then read the following resolution into the record:
WHEREAS, the council of Columbus, Georgia has recently discussed a severance agreement with Columbus Police Chief Freddie Blackmon;
WHEREAS, Chief Blackmon has indicated his formal acceptance of the Severance Agreement;
NOW, THEREFORE, the Council of Columbus, Georgia hereby resolves:
A UNANIMOUS VOTE
The resolution was then put for a vote to the city council, which passed unanimously. At that moment, the future of Freddie Blackmon’s tenure as Chief of the Columbus Police Department was sealed.
Every member of city council then stood to provide Blackmon with a standing ovation for his 37 years of service to the city.
Mayor Henderson also thanked Blackmon in a short yet sincere statement.
Immediately following the expressions of gratitude from city officials, Blackmon turned and exited the council chambers.
The meeting was then adjourned at 4:19 p.m.
WHAT COMES NEXT
In a press release from the office of Mayor Skip Henderson, it was announced that an interim chief of police will be named “in the near future.”
When asked about the timeline in a brief interview with WTVM following the meeting, Henderson stated that the new interim chief would be in place “almost immediately,” going so far as to say that the department’s command staff is more than capable of holding down operations “for a few hours.”
With the implication of such a short timeframe, it appears rather obvious that there is already a prime candidate in mind.
While we at the Muckraker do not purport to know the future, close sources have informed us that two current CPD officers may be in the running.
For the sake of preserving the newly-sanctified command climate of the Columbus Police Department, we will not speculate on who those two individuals may be. We at the Muckraker do not believe it to be an ethical choice to arbitrarily stir the political pot while our city’s police force begins to unify under its new leadership — whoever that might be.
Facts are stubborn things — and we’ll keep publishing them, whether city officials like them or not.
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