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Pendergrass places police chief on paid suspension after evidence-room discrepancies; department to secure lockers and review procedures
Summary
At a Sept. 9 work session, the Pendergrass City Council placed the police chief on paid administrative suspension after an audit found 14 missing evidence items. The council discussed an ongoing GBI and district attorney review, interim leadership, and steps to secure the department—s evidence storage and technology assets.
Pendergrass City officials said on Sept. 9 that the city has placed its police chief on paid administrative suspension after an audit found 14 pieces of evidence unaccounted for.
The suspension, announced at a Pendergrass City Council work session, came with direction to tighten evidence-room procedures while the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and the district attorney—s office review the matter. "We put him on paid suspension," said the presiding official at the meeting. "What the GBI comes up with, the GBI and the DA are investigating it." The council did not record a roll-call vote on the suspension during the public portion of the session.
Why this matters: Missing evidence can affect prosecutions and public trust in law enforcement. Council members discussed short-term operational continuity, the chain of custody for evidence, and hardware and software that support investigations.
Council members and staff said Major Pull is serving as acting police chief while the investigations proceed. City staff described steps already taken to secure the evidence room, including installing metal, lockable cabinets in place of wooden shelving, adding physical shelf security, and ensuring that dual-officer sign-offs are required when items are removed. Staff identified Uline as the proposed vendor for new locking cabinets.
During the discussion, staff described existing controls: cameras in the evidence room, two-officer sign-off procedures for removing items, and weight checks for controlled substances taken out of and returned to storage. The city acknowledged the missing items predated camera coverage in some cases, and said those details are part of the ongoing review.
The council also raised related public-safety and technology topics during the meeting. Staff said the city is receiving a credit from Motorola related to earlier purchases; the city expects to receive about $32,000 back as checks issued for prior overpayment or credit. City officials discussed newer in-car laptops and body-worn cameras for officers and how footage is stored and downloaded into department systems.
Council members discussed police fleet needs as part of the conversation about operations: the police department requested two new patrol vehicles, with at least one purchase possibly occurring this year. Staff estimated a police interceptor vehicle cost in a previously cited proposal at approximately $38,000; upfitting a car with lights, radio and other equipment was estimated at roughly $6,000 to $8,000 per vehicle.
The council directed staff to return with formal proposals and cost estimates for securing the evidence room, purchasing locking cabinets and completing any needed hardware upgrades. The acting chief and city staff will report back with recommended policy or ordinance language if the council wants to codify new chain-of-custody or evidence-management rules.
Ending: City officials said further personnel or policy actions will await the outcome of the GBI and district attorney reviews. The council did not set a public deadline for follow-up reporting at the work session.
