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Forest Park, GA (WGCL) — In the city of Forest Park, things are moving in a different direction. Longtime police chief Dwayne Hobbs is on his way out the door, but not by choice.
“There have been cries of racial impropriety, that our officers are racially profiling,” says council member Sandra Bagley. “I do not feel that’s the case. They can’t show me any proof of such.”
Bagley says other city leaders have complained that on several occasions, citizens have been racially targeted by the police department and that’s why they want the chief to go.
When asked if the decision to make the change was racially motivated, Mayor Angelyne Butler said, “Absolutely not.”
The newly-elected mayor says she intends to conduct an independent investigation into the police force, but not before making a change in leadership.
When asked if the city was pushing the chief out, Mayor Butler said, “The notion that the city is pushing him in a different direction should not alarm anyone, and it’s not uncommon when there’s a new administration.”
So, after 45 years with the department — and 22 of those years as chief — Hobbs is not going out on his own terms.
CBS46 spoke with Chief Hobbs on Thursday and he told us he did not intend to retire. Instead, he was essentially told to. He also says during his time as chief, he’s had a few complaints about racial profiling, all of which he said have been investigated and unsubstantiated.
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