ATLANTA , Georgia ( CNN ) -- It probably would have been just another ho-hum city council budget meeting . Except that the leader of Atlanta 's police union , and second-highest ranking member of the International Brotherhood of Police Officers , said he wanted to beat Atlanta 's mayor with a bat . `` I want to beat her [ Mayor Shirley Franklin ] in the head with a baseball bat sometimes when I think about it , '' Sgt . Scott Kreher said into a microphone earlier this month in an apparent off-hand remark during a presentation he was giving to the council . Within days , the 17-year department veteran was suspended . Kreher said the `` it '' that made him want to club the mayor was that , despite repeated complaints , the police union contends the city is not honoring workers ' compensation claims for cops whose careers ended when they were seriously injured on the job . Franklin , one of the nation 's high-profile mayors , told CNN on Tuesday that the officers ' complaints are a `` separate issue '' from Kreher 's comments . `` Some people think I 'll just shake it off , '' she said of the sergeant 's threat . `` I ca n't shake off an officer at City Hall -- not in his shower or in his front yard , but in official capacity -- threatening to hit me in the head with a bat . That is a severe act of violence . When you hit someone with a bat , you intend to kill them . '' The police officers union called a news conference Thursday , in part , to defend Kreher , who 's their second-highest ranking member . Three officers in wheelchairs were there , at times crying , their voices raised , as they told their stories of being shot on duty and paralyzed for life . They say they 've made repeated calls for months to city officials to get help with their medical claims and have been ignored . They are part of a group of officers alleging that NovaPro , a San Diego-based private insurance company , has refused or made it difficult for them to get the medication they need to alleviate pain and repair or replace medical equipment . `` I 've been calling the mayor 's office for more than a year , and no one has called me back or I 've been told to talk to another department . Kreher called me back the same day , '' said Ryan Phinney , a 43-year-old paraplegic whose squad car was T-boned in 1989 . He said he suffered with kidney stones , made more painful due to his paralysis , because NovaPro either ignored or rejected his claims for months . `` Kreher was defending us against people who refused to listen , and that is so offensive . It 's no wonder he got upset , '' Phinney said . The city used to provide its own services , but `` there were concerns about internal management , '' Franklin 's office explained to CNN , so it began contracting in 2004 with NovaPro . The police union complained for months about the company . Atlanta officials this month renewed the city 's agreement with NovaPro for $ 3.7 million over three years , saying no other company they 're aware of was in position to do a better job . Russ Whitmarsh , chief operating officer of NovaPro , referred all questions about the officers ' allegations to city officials . Mayor Franklin 's spokesperson issued this statement to CNN : . `` We are aware of the complaints of the five injured former Atlanta police officers . We greatly respect the service of these officers on behalf of Atlanta and the sacrifice they have made . The City of Atlanta has worked and will continue working with the employees ' attorneys to address their current complaints . We take that responsibility and obligation seriously and intend to address every complaint within the framework of the Workers ' Compensation Act . '' A few days after the bat comment , Kreher apologized to Franklin in a letter , which was published on the union Web site . He called his remark `` inexcusable , '' explaining that it sprung from `` frustration and anger . ''
Atlanta police : head said he was frustrated at the meeting . Other cops quick to support him , saying mayor is ignoring larger issue . Police : Company refusing to treat officers injured in the line of duty . Mayor Franklin 's spokesperson says mayor will work to address complaints .