Well, well, well. White privilege is a hell of a drug. Imagine being fired from your job one day for running over a fleeing civilian, and getting another job, in the same field, in a matter of days.
I need those kinds of odds in my life. And that’s the kind of life Taylor Saulters, a former officer with the Athens-Clarke, Ga., County Police Department, is leading.
The Hill reports that Saulters was hired Monday by the neighboring Oglethorpe County Sheriff’s Office, whose sheriff defended his decision in the hire.
“I have known him since he was a baby and I know he will be a great asset to our county,” Sheriff David Gabriel said in a Facebook post announcing the news (sounds like Daddy got someone a job).
Gabriel added:
If [Saulters’] name sounds familiar it is probably due to the fact that he was recently terminated by ACCPD for an incident where a fleeing felon struck his patrol car while he was attempting to apprehend him. In talking to Saulters the first question he asked was if our citizens supported law enforcement. Without hesitation I assured him they did and that we have excellent people that live in our county. I have no reservations about Dep. Saulters serving this community. As a citizen of Oglethorpe County you will find the wisdom of this decision in getting a deputy of this caliber. If you still have concerns I will discuss them with you if you contact me. If you are not an Oglethorpe County resident, I wouldn’t worry about it.
Saulters was fired Saturday after an investigation by the Athens-Clarke County Police Department determined that he purposely rammed his cruiser into a fleeing suspect.
Saulters, who was initially suspended, was seen on bodycam footage driving after suspect Timmy Patmon, who was wanted on a felony probation warrant and was attempting to escape on foot. When Saulters’ attempts to use his vehicle to block Patmon’s path failed, the officer instead used his vehicle to drive directly into Patmon, causing the young man to roll up the hood of the vehicle before collapsing to the ground.
While trying to cuff Patmon’s hands behind his back, Saulters could be heard saying, “Give us your hands now or you’re gonna get tased ... do you understand me? Make the right decision.”
Again, less than 48 hours after all of this was aired out, with the video released to the public, Saulters is already sitting nice and cushy in a new job, free to run over more fleeing suspects patrol the streets once more.
I have nothing else to say about that except it sounds about right. Oh, and I’ll probably just add Oglethorpe County and Saulters’ name to my Google alerts—I’m sure we’ll be hearing from the two of them again soon.