A preliminary hearing began Tuesday in the case against retired Atlanta police officer Sung Kim, who is charged in the 2019 shooting death of Adamsville resident Jimmy Atchison. Kim was one of multiple APD officers on an FBI fugitive task force that was pursuing Atchison for allegedly stealing a woman’s purse and cellphone at gunpoint. […]
Policing
Posted inCriminal Justice, Policing
Two Months Later, Family of Man Fatally Shot by Off-Duty APD Officer Is Searching for Answers
Two months have passed since Devon Anderson, 38, was killed by off-duty Atlanta police officer Melvin Potter, yet the victim’s family has had barely any communication from law enforcement authorities regarding the status of the investigation, according to his mother. Potter, who is still employed by the Atlanta Police Department, has been relieved of duty […]
Posted inCity Politics, Cop City
Activists Protest ‘Cop City’ by Dropping Thousands of Balls During City Council Meeting
Atlanta residents opposed to the public safety training center being built in South River Forest — known as “Cop City” — protested its construction by dropping 116,000 ping pong balls during a City Council meeting on Monday. Each ball was meant to symbolize one signature that organizers said they gathered for a petition to hold a ballot […]
Posted inAsk Capital B, Criminal Justice, Policing
Ask Capital B: How Fulton County Sheriff Candidates Say They’d Fix Jail Overcrowding
Voters in Fulton County will hit the polls on May 21 to choose a sheriff at a time when county officials are wrestling with overcrowding and poor conditions at jails — especially at the notorious Rice Street Jail, where 10 people died in custody last year and three have died so far this year. One […]
Posted inPolicing
3 Key Takeaways from the ACLU’s Fulton Sheriff’s Town Hall
As the top law enforcement officer in the county, the Fulton County sheriff plays a vital role by operating the county’s jails, providing security to the courts and superior court judges, and managing a $146 million budget, among other duties. However, polling done by the American Civil Liberties Union of Georgia shows that Fulton voters […]
Posted inCop City
Atlanta Police Foundation Sued Over Unanswered ‘Cop City’ Records Requests
A lawsuit filed in Fulton County Superior Court alleges that the Atlanta Police Foundation violated the Georgia Open Records Act by failing to respond to records requests related to the Atlanta Public Safety Training Center, which the foundation is contracted with the city to build. The Georgia Journalism and Access Project at the University of […]
Posted inCop City
Lawmakers Table Ballot Referendum Ordinance, Angering Cop City Vote Backers
An anticipated Atlanta City Council vote on a ballot referendum ordinance backed by Stop Cop City activists was postponed on Monday after municipal attorneys raised concerns about whether the measure violates existing state law. The original legislation introduced by Atlanta City Council member Liliana Bakhtiari on Jan. 8 would codify a process for Atlanta residents […]
Posted inCop City, Criminal Justice
Environmental Impact Targeted in New Push Against ‘Cop City’
Opponents of the developing Atlanta Public Safety Training Center have adopted a new strategy to stop the so-called “Cop City” from being built. Activists filed a complaint with the Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of External Civil Rights Compliance last week, arguing that the 85-acre site in unincorporated southern DeKalb County is damaging the ecosystem in […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Policing
‘Release the Tape!’ Johnny Hollman’s Relatives Bring Emotional Pleas to City Council
The Atlanta City Council on Monday called for police to release body camera video of Johnny Hollman’s fatal encounter with an officer, responding to nearly two months of passionate pleas from the 62-year-old church deacon’s relatives. The council members unanimously approved a resolution urging Mayor Andre Dickens and the Atlanta Police Department to release the […]
Posted inCop City
Lawmaker Nixes Plan to Introduce ‘Cop City’ Measure After City Attorney Input
The latest effort to let Atlanta voters weigh in on the public safety training center, dubbed “Cop City” by critics, via a ballot referendum was upended by municipal attorneys Monday afternoon, according to a lawmaker. Post 3 At-Large Atlanta City Council member Keisha Sean Waites said she and fellow lawmaker Liliana Bakhtiari had planned to […]