Atlanta mayor: Police morale down tenfold amid protests
Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms in the Georgia city last October. Photo:x Paras Griffin/Getty Images
Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms told CNN Wednesday evening police morale "is down tenfold" in the city following protests against police brutality that escalated with the fatal shooting by a white officer of Rayshard Brooks.
The big picture: She appeared on "Cuomo Prime Time" following reports that police officers had walked off the job amid tensions. The Atlanta Police Department said this was "inaccurate," but there was "a higher than usual number of call outs with the incoming shift." Bottoms told CNN, "Our streets won't be any less safe because of the number of officers who called out." She didn't specify how many had called out sick.
Go deeper: Officer who shot Rayshard Brooks charged with murder