Cobb Officer On Dashcam Video: 'We Only Kill Black People'

MARIETTA, GA — A Cobb County police officer is under fire this week after a dashcam video showed him making inappropriate racial remarks during a July 2016 traffic stop. Footage from the video came to the attention of Police Chief Mike Register late Friday afternoon, Aug. 25, authorities said.

An investigation was promptly launched, and the officer was immediately placed on administrative duties, Cobb police said. (Get Patch's Daily Newsletter and Real Time News Alerts. Or, if you have an iPhone, download the free Patch app.)

The video shows the Cobb police officer interacting on the roadside with a woman he pulled over. She calls someone for assistance, but the officer commands her to tell them not to come. She evidently is afraid to move her hands and grab the phone again, referencing that she knew that traffic stops could be deadly. That's when the officer tells her that it's OK to move her hands, saying this off-color comment: “But you're not black. Remember, we only kill black people. We only kill black people, right?”

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Suri Chadha Jimenez, an attorney for the motorist, said that it is his belief that the officer was only being sarcastic. But Register said that he is taking the exchange seriously. “No matter what the context, statements like these are unacceptable and are not indicative of the type of culture we are trying to facilitate here in the police department, as well as within the county,” Register said.

The officer in the footage, obtained by WSB-TV, is Lt. Greg Abbott, Register told the TV station. Abbot's attorney released the following statement to WSB:

"Lt. Greg Abbott is a highly respected 28-year veteran of the Cobb County Police Department. He is cooperating with the department's internal investigation and will continue to do so. His comments must be observed in their totality to understand their context. He was attempting to de-escalate a situation involving an uncooperative passenger. In context, his comments were clearly aimed at attempting to gain compliance by using the passenger's own statements and reasoning to avoid making an arrest.”

Chairman Mike Boyce said, “I have seen the video and obviously have great concerns. I find the comments on the video repugnant and offensive beyond measure. I have personally spoken with Mrs. Deane Bonner of the Cobb NAACP and Ben Williams, chairman of the Cobb chapter of the SCLC and expressed my deep disappointment about this behavior. I have been assured that we will take quick and decisive action."

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