Disabled Officers Call on Mayor for Help

The verbal sparring between Mayor Shirley Franklin and a contingent of Atlanta police officers appeared to heating up again Thursday. The head of a national police organization said Franklin may be playing politics with the lives of disabled police officers.

Several permanently disabled former Atlanta police officers gathered to call on Mayor Shirley Franklin to address the issue of the workman's compensation benefits. The issue has taken center stage after the Atlanta police union boss, Sergeant Scott Kreher came under remarks he made during a budget meeting.

Sergeant Kreher's remarks regarding officers' workers compensation coverage got the officer in hot water with the mayor.

"I can't believe Shirley Franklin would even mention in a breath that she supports the Atlanta police department, to be shot down in the line of duty, and be treated the way they are now is unconscionable I want to beat her in the head with a baseball bat when I think about it," Kreher said in the meeting.

Mayor Franklin fired back at the comments saying, "When someone says they want to take a bat and hit you in the head, in my experience, they want to kill you."

Atlanta's Mayor Shirley Franklin took her complaint against the officer to the Fulton County district attorney Tuesday. Franklin confirmed that she asked District Attorney Paul Howard to review a controversial statement by a police sergeant during a budget meeting.

Franklin said she will file a complaint against Kreher with federal, state and local authorities.

Mayor Franklin said the compensation issue will be addressed.