Police Personnel Changes to Improve PR

By Odette Yousef

Atlanta, GA – Atlanta Police Chief Richard Pennington has decided that his narcotics unit can only move forward if it's entirely revamped. But with Atlanta as the biggest drug distribution hub in the Southeast, is the move practical?

It's been one long public relations nightmare for the police department since narcotics officers raided the home of 92-year-old Kathryn Johnston and shot her to death. Chief Pennington says that staffing changes to the unit are calculated to improve that.

PENNINGTON: I thought it was important because of all the hearsay, the rumors, to start anew in that unit.

Fourteen investigators will now staff the unit. Of them, none have prior experience on narcotics, and all but one have been newly promoted to the rank of investigator.

Hubert Williams, President of the Police Foundation in Washington, says Pennington's decision makes sense. His foundation researches best practices in policing.

WILLIAMS: The issue is more perception than substance with respect to cleaning house. The public has to have faith that the people that are doing this work are honest and honorable.

Even if some veteran narcotics officers were retained, Williams says, their testimonies would always be second-guessed. Better, he says, to start anew.