ATLANTA — An Atlanta police officer involved in a hit-and-run crash is now out of a job.

Channel 2 investigative reporter Mark Winne confirmed on Friday that the sergeant retired instead of getting terminated.

An Atlanta Police Department spokesman said the car Sgt. Vincent Sims was allegedly driving at the time of the hit-and-run was a police department unmarked car, though he was off duty at the time.

A source in the department said that Sims was a highly respected supervisor with the police athletic league who had a great relationship with kids and with the sponsors who make that program possible, and he will be missed there.

An Atlanta police statement indicates upon learning of the hit-and-run wreck that occurred at 3520 Piedmont Road he was immediately relieved of duty. An investigation was also opened by the Atlanta Police Department’s Office of Professional Standards. Shortly after, Vincent Sims made the decision to retire from the Atlanta Police Department, in lieu of termination.

The statement went on to say that Sims faces charges including failure to yield when entering a roadway and misdemeanor hit-and-run. This case is still being investigated.

A July 21, an Atlanta police report suggests a driver on the scene described having a green light and said a vehicle pulled into the intersection while their light was red.

It says at that point, the occupants of the vehicle got out of the car, got into another vehicle, and left and that there were two males that exited the vehicle.

It indicates the driver advised that they had back pain from the accident but refused EMS and that the driver’s passenger advised that they had a headache from the car accident, but also declined medical attention at the time.

Winne tried to reach Sims by phone on Friday. The voice that answered neither confirmed nor denied on the call it was Sims and asked Winne to call back in about an hour.

Winne was not able to get through to that person on a number of later phone calls.

APD provided what appeared to be a letter from Sims announcing his retirement from the Atlanta Police Department that said, “effective immediately.”

“Over the past 17 years, I, Vincent R. Sims Jr, have had the privilege of serving as a dedicated member of this esteemed department. It has been an incredible journey filled with valuable experiences and remarkable memories that will forever hold a special place in my heart,” the letter said.

The APD statement said, “The Atlanta Police Department takes any allegations of misconduct seriously and officers are expected to abide by the highest standards of our profession.”

Mike Ayers, executive director of the Georgia Peace Officers and Standards and Training Council, said Sims’ record with the agency that oversees police officer certification shows no previous investigations of him by POST, and he had a clean record.

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