Personnel files for state and local government workers are public records. That includes payroll, overtime payments, performance evaluations and disciplinary actions.

Dismissed DeKalb police chief a perfect '5' on 2007 eval

DeKalb County Police Chief Terrell Bolton (right) had it made in 2007, with a perfect score –- all 5’s (Page 4) -- on his probationary 6-month personnel evaluation. But it was downhill from there –- ending with his new boss, DeKalb CEO Burrell Ellis, firing him in February.

Bolton will challenge his dismissal at a civil service hearing next month.

A few tidbits from Bolton’s 2007 eval:

––  He earned a “5” (“far exceeds standards”) in 2007 for “Attendance and Dependability.” The eval noted (Page 1) he earned 200 training hours in his first six months on the job (the job description required 20 hours).

–– Over a seven-week period, Bolton trained by day and ran the cop shop by night. "This double duty detail speaks to the dedication and commitment that Chief Bolton has for this police department." (We know now, based on reporting by Fox 5's Dale Russell, that Bolton claimed 37 days of comp time -- more than seven weeks -- in 2007).

––  Bolton earned a “5” for Leadership (Page 2), defined in part as: “Instructs staff/subordinates on procedures, policies and methodologies, without any form of disciplinary action for failure to act accordingly.”

–– On the next page (Page 3), the evaluator commended Bolton’s “swift” termination of officers who broke the law or violated department policy: “Although not an easy task, Chief Bolton understands the need for such actions to maintain the integrity and reputation of the department and instill a sense of trust in the community.”

––  He is “tenious, meticulious and very detailed-oriented” (unlike, apparently, the evaluator).

––  All in all, Bolton did so well that DeKalb bumped his pay after six months to $162,612 – 11 percent more than his starting pay.

Bolton’s 2008 performance evaluation, by contrast, is blank. He signed and dated it on the same day as his eval for the year before; Richard Stogner, executive assistant to then-CEO Vernon Jones, also signed the form. 

With all the fields blank, Bolton’s overall performance rating for 2008 was “0” – as in zero. (Dude, we can’t see how that’s gonna look good at the civil service hearing.)

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