Georgia mayor fires police chief and suspends all officers

WARM SPRINGS, Georgia (Atlanta News First) – The mayor of a city in the US state of Georgia has fired his police chief and suspended the entire police force after a lengthy investigation.

In a social media post, the City of Warm Springs announced that Mayor Robyn Pynenburg had fired Police Chief Emilio Quintana and suspended the remaining 13 police officers.

“The decision to fire Police Chief (Emilio) Quintana and suspend police service was made after careful review of recent events and emerging concerns regarding conduct and operations within the department,” city officials said in a social media post Wednesday.

The Georgia Peace Officer Standards & Training Council confirmed that the former police chief is under investigation for “unauthorized use of city vehicles and acting as an officer in an unauthorized exercise of his duties.”

Meanwhile, the city, which has a population of around 500, has appointed Aisha Al-Khalifa as its interim head.

Al-Khalifa is currently the only active police officer.

WANF reached out to Warm Springs Mayor Robyn Pynenburg on Thursday.

Pynenburg declined to answer any questions and said in a text message that she was out of town.

“We’ve had no police chief before and we’ve been understaffed before,” said Gerrie Thompson, a Warm Springs restaurateur.

Thompson said she was a former city council member and trusted the mayor had a legitimate reason for firing the police chief.

“It’s not something that just happens spontaneously. I’m not worried about anything. And I’m sure they’ll take care of whatever happens,” Thompson said.

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