SHEILA A. MATHEWS :::
A.J. Hammond, a recruit in training with the Griffin Police Department, has drawn harsh criticism following a tweet he posted during Saturday’s University of Georgia-University of Tennessee football game.
After Nick Chubb, UGA’s star running back, sustained a significant and season-ending knee injury, Hammond tweeted, “I hope that ended his career! #GoVols”
Hammond was immediately inundated with responses from people who not only took offense to the sentiment expressed in his tweet, but that his social media profile indicated his career in law enforcement.
Social media was ablaze Saturday and Sunday with people calling for his termination from the Spalding County Sheriff’s Office. However, Hammond ended his employment with that agency Sept. 25, and he is now employed by the Police Department.
GPD Chief Steve Heaton said he has received six emails regarding Hammond’s tweet, and he is aware of the demands for his termination.
Despite the negative outcry, Heaton has confirmed Hammond will not lose his job as a result of Saturday’s tweet.
“I think that he’s a young guy who got into the middle of a discussion with a Georgia fan on a Twitter account and said some things that were insensitive and I don’t think he anticipated it getting as much attention as it did,” he said. “As soon as I was contacted (Saturday), the lieutenant told me he’d already spoken to him and asked him to take it down, which he did, and the recruit, Hammond, apologized and apologized to us for creating a problem that involved the PD.”
The Chief said one important factor is Hammond did not make the comment in any law enforcement capacity.
“The fact that somebody found out that he’s a police officer, it wasn’t something he put out there on any social media, so nothing he did was in reference to or associated with the Griffin Police Department. His personal views are not the same views as the Griffin Police Department, so they’re not representative of us,” Heaton said. “When you look at the comments, the comments are not profane. I think they’re simply insensitive.”
He also responded to those who have stated Hammond’s tweet indicates he is unfit to serve as a law enforcement officer.
“I disagree with that. It’s an opinion that he had where he thought that he was having a conversation with somebody who’s a Georgia fan and they were bantering back and forth like folks do on social media about their opinions of different teams. He made a comment that he wishes he hadn’t made now, but nonetheless, it was insensitive,” he said. “That does not, in my opinion, what he said does not reflect his ability to be a police officer.”
Heaton also responded to criticism Hammond has faced based on the belief officers should be held to a higher standard. While he does agree with officers being held to a higher standard, he said that does not negate their individual rights.
“Well, the standard applies because they shouldn’t do anything that brings discredit to our police department and in this case, nobody knew because he never represented he represented us, he never indicated he is associated with us and he is entitled to his opinion. And he stated his opinion, nobody else’s. Officers have rights like everybody else. They have the right to exercise their free speech and he certainly dd that,” he said. “I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – was it insensitive? Yes, it was insensitive, but that does not mean he did anything that would be in violation of our policy or what we think would be acceptable. I mean, do I like it? No, but our folks have a tendency sometimes, like everyone else, to say something someone may not like and that’s what happened in this case. He was asked to take it down and he was counseled, so there is a higher standard and we held it.”
With regard to the sentiment that Hammond should be terminated based on an insensitive statement alone, Heaton said, “So, because you don’t like what I say, that you can have me fired. That’s slaps in the face of free speech, does it not? You’re trying to stop me from having the ability to say what I think because it doesn’t square with what you think. I think the long story short with Austin Hammond is that he made a statement he now knows he shouldn’t have made and he knows that, he immediately took it down and was counseled by no less than two supervisors. He apologized and said he didn’t mean for it to get out of hand. That’s it.”
