Atlanta Police chief warns about removing city cops from schools

ATLANTA - Atlanta Police Chief George Turner said a new Atlanta Public Schools plan makes no sense.

He is talking about the decision by school managers to drop APD officers and hire a separate police force. 

The school plan comes in the wake of numerous crimes in the city where school-aged youngsters have been sought, and in some cases, jailed. 

The culprits have been as young as 14 years old. At Atlanta City Hall, Turner answered questions from city officials.

City council member Keisha Lance Bottoms bemoaned the fact that too many youngsters are being "cranked" out of school with no skills. She said they turn to "menacing behavior". 

Councilman Michael Bond says now is not the time for school managers to start all over and try to hire new inexperienced officers. 

Turner responded to the council, saying he told school managers they should not end a relationship with his department. If there are concerns, Turner said his supervisors can work them out. 

Atlanta Public School officials say they want to continue to ;partner with APD as they launch the in-house safety and security department next year. 

The district released a statement to FOX 5 saying "With our own in-house department, A-P-S will have sworn police officers, who support our vision of developing school environments where students feel safe to learn, caring adults support students, and our children become productive citizens in their communities."