Residents may voice their concerns regarding the city’s appeasement of extortionary tantrums by emailing Mayor Skip Henderson directly at SkipHenderson@columbusga.org, while cc’ing their respective city council members on the email.

COLUMBUS, Ga. — One of the two assistant chiefs of the Columbus Police Department has been throwing a toddler-like tyrannical temper tantrum in a laughable attempt to demand she be named the department’s interim chief of police.

The officers of the department and city officials alike are having none of it. 

In the aftermath of police chief Freddie Blackmon accepting a severance package from the city, Assistant Chief of Administration Joyce Dent-Fitzpatrick immediately began making extortionary threats to sue the city if she was not “promoted” to be the interim chief. 

What Fitzpatrick’s antics fail to realize is that the position she seeks to extort her way into is not a promoted one, but rather an appointed one. Officials can nominate whoever they deem appropriate.

It goes without saying that Fitzpatrick’s tyrannical display of extortionary behavior ironically indicates the very reasons why someone would never be considered for such an important leadership position — which is exactly why she’s likely on the absolute bottom of the list.

Additionally, according to several sources, Fitzpatrick has recently taken actions to undermine the authority of the Mayor as the city’s director of public safety. 

As a result, Mayor Henderson has personally informed Fitzpatrick that she is not in charge of the department no less than three times — the most recent of which involved a petty powertrip by Fitzpatrick in which she purposefully mistreated the Mayor’s assistant.

In the absence of an appointed interim chief, only the Mayor is legally authorized to perform certain actions on behalf of the office of the Chief of Police. One of those duties is the signing of forms and documents inherent to the department’s functionality and its services offered.

Mayor Henderson himself has made this very publicly clear in several news interviews in recent weeks. 

Despite the very clear legal requirements she was fully aware of, Fitzpatrick has taken it upon herself to wrongfully sign legally-binding documents as the department’s Chief of Police, completely ignoring the law and the mayor’s sole authority to do so. 

According to sources, Fitzpatrick did this on several occasions without even bothering to inform the department’s other assistant Chief, Debra Kennedy. 

Fitzpatrick’s move demonstrates yet another tyrannical overreach, providing clear evidence of her personal quest for power being of greater concern to her than the welfare of the department and following the law. Fitzpatrick’s recent displays and threats coincide with her demonstrated history of tyrannical behavior throughout her time in the higher ranks of the department. 

According to many officers within the department, Fitzpatrick has continuously been a “toxic cancer” within the department who “wreaks havoc” on the department’s operations.

Several years ago, Fitzpatrick wrongfully made the unilateral decision to not allow the department’s motor squad to participate in the funeral procession of a fallen General Officer of the United States Army. Fitzpatrick’s decision, which overstepped her authority and the advice of her peers, rightfully resulted in community outrage. Fitzpatrick’s poor decision led to her  immediate and complete removal from the department’s operations staff, recusing her to an administrative role instead. 

In another incident many years ago, Fitzpatrick ignored the instructions of her superiors as she claimed to be in pursuit of  — and we are sadly not kidding — a “U.F.O.” flying over the city. Lo and behold, it was not in fact the unidentified flying object she claimed it to be. 

Perhaps Fitzpatrick should realize that her temper tantrums and unilateral overreach are the very reasons why officers would never trust her to lead the department — and neither would city officials.

Residents may voice their concerns regarding the city’s appeasement of extortionary tantrums by emailing Mayor Skip Henderson directly at SkipHenderson@columbusga.org, while cc’ing their respective city council members on the email.

Facts are stubborn things — and we’ll keep publishing them, whether JDF and city officials like them or not.

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