Cop's Controversial Remarks Raise Concerns

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MARIETTA, GA (CBSMiami) - A Cobb County police officer has landed in hot water after his dashcam caught him making some controversial comments.

During a traffic stop, Lt. Greg Abbott tried to convince a woman to get out of a car by telling her it was okay because she is white.

"Remember, we only kill black people," he can be heard saying. "Yeah, we only kill black people, right?"

"All the videos you've see have you seen black people get killed," he adds.

After viewing the video, Police Chief Mike Register held a press conference and made a stern recommendation about Abbott's career.

"I make no excuses for that," said Register. "The recommendation is to terminate his employment from the Cobb County Police Department."

Register said because of his comments, the 27-year veteran of the force has force current officers to out and try to regain the public's trust.

"Its sad to think that, several seconds of video has the potential of tearing that apart," he said.

Shortly after the chief's press conference, an attorney for Abbott issued a statement which said in part, "This afternoon, after 27 years of faithful service to the citizens of Cobb County, Lt. Gregg Abbott made the decision to retire."

Residents of Cobb County have mixed emotions as to whether he should have terminated.

"If you have anything in your mind that makes you afraid of a certain color or a certain type of person, you are in the wrong profession," said one woman.

"I think its a difficult situation because he probably did a lot of good in his 27 years," said a man.

All agreed, however, there was no excuse he could use to justify his comments.