Two Gainesville Police Department officers stood in front of residents of Porters Community Monday apologizing and taking criticism for throwing eggs in the neighborhood while drunk.
In November, GPD Officers Brett Robinson, Billy Long and Joshua Hinson drove through the the Porters neighborhood in southwest Gainesville near Depot Avenue with the intent to harass prostitutes and drug dealers, an internal investigation revealed.
While some of the 40 attendees accepted the officers' apologies, others stated that the officers should never be forgiven for their carelessness.
Ofc. Jeff McAdams, president of the local Fraternal Order of Police, said Hinson and Long voluntarily chose to apologize to the Porters Community members Monday and also at the Gainesville City Commission meeting last Thursday.
Robinson rejected the opportunity to apologize last Thursday, so he wasn't invited to speak at the community meeting alongside Hinson and Long, McAdams said.
"This is an important first step in the healing process," GPD spokesman Keith Kameg said.
Kameg added that he hopes Gainesville citizens don't implicate the entire police department for the actions of a few officers.
