Friday, April 2, 2004
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Friday, April 2, 2004 |
| Investigation may have cut career short By LINDSAY BIANCHI The dismissal of Major Daniel Crawford from the Fairburn Police Department just gets more curious. In documents obtained by the Citizen through the Open Records Act, the newspaper learned Crawford headed up a major internal investigation last year. Crawford did the investigation in November and December of last year,and department employees were asked about the behavior of Sergeant James R. Smith in connection to formal complaints filed by Officer Mary Louise Tallman. Crawford, who reluctantly resigned in February credits the outcome of the investigation with his dismissal. Officer Tallman filed her initial complaint on September 13, 2002, concerning negative comments she asserts were made to her by Smith during work hours in front of other officers. In addition, a much more recent complaint was made by Tallman on November 14, 2003, in connection with a minor incident during a firearms qualification test. The second complaint led to the internal investigation which points the finger more than once at Smith's behavior while on duty. While many who were interviewed shrugged off the sergeant's behavior, several others agreed that Smith could be intimidating and use improper remarks in handling his job. Smith's 40-page interview with Major Crawford did little to clarify specifics in the case. It did come out from others questioned that there were possible problems concerning outside hiring and personnel job descriptions. The widespread discontent involving a STOP unit and the man-hours needed to run it were voiced more than once. Many of the interviewees tended to drag their feet answering questions and being generally unsure about any sensitive facts. The over 300 page investigation led to Smith's reassignment at City Hall as a code enforcement officer. Tallman remains in her position at the Fairburn Police Department.
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