A Georgia police officer has been placed on administrative duty following the release of dashcam footage in which he told a worried white woman during a traffic stop, "We only kill black people." The Cobb County Police Department has also opened an internal investigation, WSB-TVreported Thursday.
"The statements was made by an individual, they're not indicative of the values and the facts that surround the Cobb County Police Department and this county in general," Chief Mike Register, who decided to launch the investigation after he and his staff watched the video following WSB-TV's open records request, said. The incident occurred before Register became chief.
In video of the July 2016 incident, the officer—identified as Lt. Greg Abbott—is heard interacting with the woman as part of a suspected DUI traffic stop. When the woman expresses concerns about moving her hands after seeing "way too many videos" of police-related incidents, Abbott interjects. "But you're not black," Abbott says. "Remember, we only kill black people. Yeah, we only kill black people, right? All the videos you've seen, have you seen black people get killed? You have."
Abbott was initially "eager" to go on camera and discuss his remarks, but his attorney ultimately intervened. In a statement, attorney Lance LoRusso touted Abbott's 28-year veteran status and blamed the remarks on his efforts to "de-escalate a situation involving an uncooperative passenger."
Suri Chadha Jimenez, the attorney for the woman in the video, condemned the officer's "unacceptable" remarks. "It makes you cringe when you hear it," Jimenez said.
In May, the Atlanta Journal-Constitutionreported that a study conducted by the Internal Association of Chiefs of Police found that the Cobb County Police Department needed to "acknowledge and address" public perceptions of discriminatory tactics.
