Some Warner Robins city council members say Warner Robins Police Chief Brett Evans was told he had 60 days to hire 10 new officers.
According to those same council members, Mayor Randy Toms told Evans after a closed session concerning his employment two weeks ago.
In a series of phone calls, council members Tim Thomas and Carolyn Robbins specifically confirmed that Evans was given 60 days to hire 10 officers.
Councilman Keith Lauritsen said it was "not specific" and that hiring 10 officers was meant as more of a goal than an ultimatum.
When asked about rumors that a certain number of those 10 hires had to be minorities, the council members did not agree on what had been said.
Thomas said hiring minorities has been a concern of council for some time now, but said Evans was not given a specific number.
"I just want officers on the street," Thomas told 13 WMAZ.
Robbins said Evans was given an ultimatum: "Five white, five black" officers, in 60 days.
"There are 17 vacancies, we can't run a city on that many police officers," Robbins continued.
The city currently has 54 police officers, according to an open records request filed last week. They are budgeted for more than 70 officer positions.
Lauritsen said minority hiring was a point of conversation, but was never specifically spelled out.
Councilman Clifford Holmes said he was not aware of the directive to hire 10 officers.
"I don't know," Holmes said, explaining he did not tell Evans directly, so he was not sure what the chief had actually been told. Holmes said the Mayor would have been the one to tell Evans.
Councilman Daron Lee confirmed the discussion did happen about 10 officers in 60 days.
Neither Robbins nor Thomas said there would be a specific action taken if Evans did not or was not able to hire 10 officers in 60 days.
They both said council would have to reevaluate at that time.
"It was a personnel issue discussed in a closed session. Because of our charter and state law, I'm not going to make a comment," Toms said on Tuesday.
At Monday night's council meeting, four new officers were sworn in.
"Four down," Lauritsen said.
Councilman Mike Davis did not return our phone call on Tuesday.
Warner Robins Police spokeswoman Jennifer Parson said the department had no comment.