Georgia mayor fires police chief, suspends all the officers

WARM SPRINGS, Ga. (Atlanta News First) – The mayor of a city in Georgia fired its police chief and suspended the entire police force following a lengthy investigation.

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

“The decision to terminate Chief [Emilio] Quintana and suspend the police force was made after careful consideration of recent events and emerging concerns regarding the conduct and operations within the department,” city officials said in a social media post Wednesday.

The Georgia Peace Officer Standards & Training Council confirmed it’s investigating the former police chief for “unauthorized use of city vehicles and representation as an officer in an unauthorized duty of office.”

In the meantime, the city with a population of roughly 500 people, appointed Aisha Al-Khalifa as interim chief.

As of now, Al-Khalifa is the only person active on the police force.

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 been without a police chief before, and we’ve been short-staffed before,” said Gerrie Thompson, an innkeeper in Warm Springs.

Thompson said she formerly served on city council and trusts the mayor had a legitimate reason to fire the police chief.

“It’s not something that’s just a spur-of-the-moment thing. I’m not potentially worried about anything. And I’m sure whatever is going on, they will have it taken care of,” Thompson said.

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