Word: Have you seen APD Chief Richard Pennington?

‘His absence has been an issue’

After a July 25th weekend marked by the carjacking of a City Councilman, the killing of a pro boxer and the shooting of an Edgewood resident, Atlanta Police Chief Richard Pennington was once again criticized for his noticeable absence.

“At this particular time, I do not know.”

An Atlanta Police Department spokesman tells CBS Atlanta on July 29 he didn’t know the chief’s whereabouts.

“I was surprised to watch a recent press conference regarding crimes near the Georgia Tech and see the Atlanta Police Department represented by a lieutenant and a sergeant. Where was the chief? Leadership matters, and he hasn’t mattered. His absence has been an issue.”

Former Atlanta Deputy Chief Lou Arcangeli in a July 30 AJC article.

““I want the critics to know that I have not ‘checked out.’”

Pennington, who says he was at a mandatory training conference in Virginia during the crimes, at a July 30 press conference.