The Atlanta Citizen Review Board (ACRB) was established by City Ordinance in 2007 (Amended May 2010). The purpose of the legislation is to ensure that city departments directly responsible for public safety, particularly the Police Department and the Department of Corrections have the proper support of the government and its various agencies. It is designed to provide citizen oversight of misconduct accusations against sworn members of the police and corrections departments in the City of Atlanta. It provides a credible, independent forum where complaints and accusations can be assessed. It is also designed to help prevent future incidents of police or corrections misconduct and abuses of civil rights and to reduce the amount of money needed to satisfy judgments and settlements based on upon allegations of police or corrections misconduct. The ACRB promotes public confidence in law enforcement and lessens the possibility that future incidents of urban unrest will occur. The ACRB is comprised of eleven members, selected from various constituencies throughout the City. The selection process is designed to reflect the diversity and interests of a broad spectrum of the community.
The appointments are assigned as follows:
Appointed by the Mayor: (Vacant)
Appointed by the City Council: William Harrison
Appointed by the President of the Council with previous experience as a law enforcement professional: Ruth Price
Appointed by Neighborhood Planning Unit Group A-F: Joy Morrissey
Appointed by Neighborhood Planning Unit Group G-L: Barbara Hubbard
Appointed by Neighborhood Planning Unit M-R: Ryan Johnson
Appointed by Neighborhood Planning Unit S-Z: Maceo Williams
Appointed by Gate City Bar Association: Charis Johnson
Appointed by the Atlanta Bar Association: Paul Bartels
Appointed by the League of Women Voters: Alan H. Morris
Appointed by the Atlanta Business League: Pamala Aliniece
The Board meets at 6:30 p.m. on the second Thursday of each month in Committee Room Two at City Hall. The ACRB office is located in Suite 9100, Tower Building of City Hall. The Board accepts complaints, investigates the complaints, and is authorized to conduct hearings to resolve complaints and make recommendations to the Chief of Police and Corrections, the Mayor and City Council. The ACRB may investigate complaints that fall into the following categories:
- abusive language;
- false arrest;
- false imprisonment;
- harassment;
- use of excessive force;
- serious bodily injury; or
- death that is alleged to be the result of the actions of a sworn employee of the Atlanta Police Department or the Atlanta Department of Corrections.
The ACRB was created to provide a fair, open, transparent and independent venue for complaints against sworn members of the Atlanta Police and Corrections Department. Our goal is to:
- improve public safety by building trust between the police and the public;
- provide a safe and welcoming place for complaints to be heard;
- be perceived as fair by members of the public and by members of the Police Department and Corrections Department;
- ensure accountability and transparency in the complaint process;
- provide community input concerning public safety issues in the City of Atlanta;
- comply with the Ordinance regarding Police Oversight designed to instill confidence in its citizenry to redress grievances against the government and its employees, and
- promote public confidence in law enforcement and lessen the possibility that future incidents of urban unrest will occur.