An inmate created controversy by filming a rap video at the Fulton County Jail in Georgia. Fulton County Sheriff Pat Labat defended his department after a local commissioner criticized the lack of supervision in the jail on Tuesday (August 8).
“Am I surprised by this? No,” Commissioner Bob Ellis told Fox 5 Atlanta.
A contractor working at the Georgia jail used their phone to film a music video for an incarcerated rapper. Several inmates joined in the unauthorized video shoot while an officer stood by and watched. The officer resigned after the video surfaced online.
Ellis cited the rap video as one of several examples of insufficient oversight at the jail. Sheriff Labat said his department has been dealing with staffing shortages and “other challenges.”
“Every law enforcement agency in the country is confronting critical staffing shortages,” Labat said. “Better pay certainly helps, but that’s only one component of building a qualified and trusted staff.
He added, “If you look at voting records and which commissioners have reached out directly and even visited the jail, it will be clear which ones are interested in sustainable solutions and which ones are obsessed with playing politics.”
Ellis told Fox 5 Atlanta he visited the jail in February.