APD Chief Schierbaum Reiterates His Support for the Atlanta Citizen Review Board
During a scheduled presentation before the Atlanta Citizen Review Board’s March monthly meeting, APD Chief Darin Schierbaum reiterated his continued support for the ACRB. “My reason here was just to say thank you, to ask you to continue to do your duties, allow us to assist in any way we can,” he stated. Chief Schierbaum has always noted that the agency and APD share a mutual goal of making sure that citizens of Atlanta have the most professional law enforcement agency in the state. “Everyone who resides in this city, recreates here, worships here, and wants to have a trusted police department that is trusted by the community and very good at what they do, and to have an independent body in place where citizens can come to and express concerns and know their concerns will not just be heard, but properly investigated, is appreciated by me.” Schierbaum answered all questions posed by the Board for more than a half hour. He also responded to a recorded public comment from a citizen who wanted to know of what percentage does the City of Atlanta have for officers who, instead of being terminated, are allowed to quit, and then rehired by another police force. Her concern stemmed from an article she read about an officer who had an inappropriate relationship with a 17-year old and who was released by the Douglas County police department then rehired twice by the Austell’s police department, before and after the incident. Schierbaum responded, “I just want to get clarification on that point and to answer the caller’s question if I may about how many people are retained on the police department that may have been in the classification with another agency. That answer is zero percent. We will not entertain an application for employment if you have been terminated from or resigned under or in lieu of an investigation. We want to be very careful of nomad officers who may move from one organization to the next that may have exhibited behavior or indications they could not be trusted or carry out the duties of a police officer. So we follow that very closely.”
A View From the Executive Director
Lee Reid, ACRB Executive Director
Spring is here and March is Women’s History Month. The poet, writer, and activist, Alice Walker, said, “The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don’t have any.” As the Springtime warmth entices us to get outside, this is a great time to do a check in on our rights involving police interactions. Every Spring the ACRB increases its community education efforts to inform citizens of their rights and responsibilities during police encounters and the right to file a complaint when they are concerned about a police officer’s actions. For the ACRB, the power that Ms. Walker speaks of is the power that citizens give up when they fail to know and exercise their 4th Amendment Rights, are not aware of the ACRB, and fail to file a complaint when they experience or witness questionable police conduct. If you do not know your rights, you may act as though you do not have any rights; therefore, you have given up your power. If you aware of the ACRB and fail to use its services when you have a concern about an officer’s behavior, you have given up your power. Like voting, if you don’t exercise your rights and file a complaint when needed, you forfeit your power to effect change.
The ACRB is about citizen empowerment. We strive to provide citizens the knowledge to handle interactions with police officers appropriately and the awareness and means to file a complaint when they have concerns about an officer’s actions. So, as we go about enjoying the warmer weather, let’s review and respond to some quick power tips: Power Tip 1: Don’t run from an officer / Don’t fight with an officer. Power Tip 2: Know Your Rights and appropriately exercise your rights during a police encounter. Power Tip 3: If you don’t Know Your Rights for police encounters, contact the ACRB. Power Tip 4: File a complaint with the ACRB if an officer’s behavior causes you concern. For further information, please go to our website, acrbgov.org or call our mainline phone, 404-865-8622.
A Bigger and Better Office Suite for the Atlanta Citizen Review Board
It took many years to accomplish, but the Atlanta Citizen Review Board has succeeded in relocating to a bigger and better location, from the 9th Floor of the Atlanta City Hall Tower to Suite 1225, on the first floor of the tower. No longer will it have to share a suite with another department or be confined to tiny cubicles with no privacy. Citizens seeking to visit the agency to file a complaint or inquire about the agency’s programs and services will now be served in a modern, spacious, comfortable, and fully renovated suite of offices and conference rooms. Executive Assistant Quentin Lindley noted, “It took a long time for us to finally get here. There is a lot of space, as you can see, and I think it will help us expand and grow…I love the space! I love that we’ll be able to move around, have our privacy if we have serious conversations with citizens…of any misconduct they may be having with any APD (Atlanta Police Department) or any corrections officers. So I’m happy and optimistic that this be is going to be a new day for the ACRB.”
Thanks to Atlanta’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade, Inc. for including the ACRB Integrity Street Team (IST) and our mobile unit in the annual parade down Peachtree Street. The Grand Marshall this year was the legendary TV anchor Monica Kaufman Pearson, the first woman and first minority to anchor the daily evening news in Atlanta, Georgia, where she worked for 37 years at the leading station, WSB-TV. As it said on the parade website, “Participation in the parade is not just an “Irish thing”. The parade attracts individuals and groups from around the city and the South including clowns, floats, bands, Bagpipe & Drum Corps, children, dancers, drill teams, and more… The emphasis is on children and families in celebration of all of Atlanta’s diverse backgrounds on a day when “everybody is Irish.” Mission accomplished! The parade was all that and lots of fun. The hundreds of citizens we encountered along the parade route appreciated receiving our QR code cards from our team which gives them direct access to our electronic complaint form should they need to file a complaint against the Atlanta police and corrections officers. Special thanks to IST members Stanley Ferguson and Susan Byrd who walked the parade route and passed out hundreds of cards and special treat bags to the kids. We are already looking forward to doing it again next year!
ACRB Elects and Welcomes its 2024 Officers
It was a uniquely eventful Atlanta Citizen Review Board monthly meeting in City Hall on Thursday, February 8, 2024 with the annual election of officers. Approved unanimously by the Board, the ACRB welcomed it’s new 2024 officers. Congratulations to Chairman Germaine Austin (left), who represents the Gate City Bar Association; Vice-Chair Kelvin Williams (right), appointed by the Atlanta Planning & Advisory Board (APAB) to represent Neighborhood Planning Units (NPUs) A-F; and Leah Pulliam who was re-elected as Secretary, representing the Urban League of Greater Atlanta. Pulliam was also distinguished by being given the coveted Ivory Lee Young, Jr. Award by Executive Director Lee Reid for facilitating and participating in the most Know Your Rights presentations. “I am so excited and pleased to continue my service with the Atlanta Citizen Review Board,” said Ms. Pulliam, “and to also make sure that I make a community impact and get people involved in the ACRB.” Vice-Chair Williams, currently in his first three-year term on the Board, said he was, “Definitely excited, I look forward to a lot of the great work that ACRB is going to do for 2024. I’m excited to be able to serve as the interim Chair and work with the Chair to make sure that we are keeping focus on the ACRB initiatives and just making an impact in the Atlanta community so Atlanta citizens can definitely know what ACRB is all about.” Newly elected Board Chair Austin reacted, “It’s definitely a pleasure for me, I’m looking forward to it. I think there’s a lot of good things that could come out of this Board. We have a lot of objectives we need to accomplish and it’s heartfelt. The reason I joined this board is to make a positive impact on the community, and I would like to leave a legacy showing that impact.”
ACRB Welcomes Dean Veenstra New Senior Investigator
ACRB welcomes Dean Veenstra, one of the newest investigators. He brings to the agency staff a wealth of knowledge and experience to handle citizen complaints. He stated his thoughts on his first day on the job, “I am very excited to be here,” Veeenstra said. “I was an investigator with the (Georgia) State Bar for twelve years, and I’m looking forward to being an investigator with the ACRB.”
Citizens Speak About Police Officer Accountability and the ACRB
From the 2024 Atlanta Black Expo at the Cobb Galleria Centre
“I think it’s important that we as citizens are taking a proactive role in making sure that our police depart-ment is accountable for their actions for sure. Anyone who’s serving our county and our people need to be held accountable and making sure that they’re doing what they are supposed to be doing. So, I think that it’s great that we have an organization like yours.”
“Oh man, this is great information right here for our community. If you don’t know this, you definitely need to know this information. Like, I wish that I had known this information a long time ago. I could have helped a lot of friends and family. So, definitely check them out, share their information, share their website, share their social media, and spread the word.”
From the Monthly (First Friday) ACRB Campaign at Greenbriar Mall
“I totally agree with it (citizen oversight of local law enforcement like the ACRB). We want to make sure that we keep people in their place, let’s say that, because we want to make sure we fight for what’s right, and they got to understand that people do have to voice their opin-ion too. We want to make sure that everybody is protected and everybody’s safe on both ends.”
Board Member Dr. Faye Floyd at the Greenbriar Mall Campaign
Dr. Faye Floyd, one of the agency’s newer Board members, lives near Greenbriar Mall, so she was eager to participate in the agency’s first Friday of the month campaign at the mall. Dr. Floyd, who represents Neighborhood Planning Units (NPU) M through R, was confirmed by Atlanta City Council on December 4, 2023. Two months into her term, Dr. Floyd met and greeted scores of shoppers who stopped by the ACRB presentation table or who took time out of their busy schedules to meet and speak to her. She shared with them our programs and services designed to empower citizens with a strong voice should they encounter police misconduct. “It has been very powerful that I’m here to spread the word in my community to know that we do exist. We are here to hold police accountable, correctional officers and police officers in the City of Atlanta. So, it gave me great joy to be able to spread the word on behalf of the ACRB, the Atlanta Citizen Review Board.” Over a two hour period, some 200 ACRB information cards were distributed. Citizens expressed their appreciation to the ACRB for the work we do on their behalf. Dr. Floyd plans to be there each month.
ACRB Welcomes New Board member Andrea Bilbija
Andrea Bilbija was nominated to serve on the Atlanta Citizen Review Board (ARCB) by the Atlanta Bar Association. She received City Council confirmation February 27, 2024, to serve until August 2024.
Bilbija is the Chief Compliance Officer at Sprinklr where she oversees global regulatory compliance, enterprise risk management, and Sprinklr’s governance and compliance program. With experience in building regulatory compliance and governance programs from the ground up at SaaS companies, she is well versed in embedding compliance frameworks into corporate operational processes and product development life cycles.
Based in Grant Park, Andrea is actively engaged in non-profit work in the city. She is a member of the LEAD Atlanta Class of 2022 and currently serves on the board of directors for the Clarkston Community Health Center, a free clinic that serves Atlanta’s immigrant community.
ACRB is Warmly Welcomed at the 2024 Atlanta Black Expo
The Cobb Galleria Center was the scene of the 2024 Atlanta Black Expo where 120 vendors and the ACRB gathered to network, sell and/or share products, services, and information. Thanks to our Integrity Street Team of workers managing our service booth (left to right: Tiffany Travis, Stanley Ferguson, and DeQuez (Justice Crusader) Lewis, hundreds of citizens received the knowledge and options they need to handle police misconduct. So many of them who were unaware of the agency were thankful and ex-pressed their approval of civilian oversight of local law enforcement. The kids who met the Justice Crusader were happy to join the ranks of our mascot’s crew of young eyes and ears looking out for police behaving badly. We appreciate the support of the many citizens who signed up as ACRB subscribers. It was the first year that the ACRB participated in the Atlanta Black Expo and given how warmly we were received, It certainly will not be the last.
ACRB Welcomes Allahva West as a Senior Investigator
ACRB welcomes Senior Investigator Allahva West to the agency’s investigations team. She began on March 14, 2024, was greeted then briefed by staff, and given a tour of our new office. “My initial thoughts, it’s a very friendly environment,” West explained. “The people here seem to want to make sure that they’re doing the right thing by the citizens of Atlanta.” Mrs. West, a wife and mother of three, has 11 years of law enforcement experience. “I’m coming out of the (law enforcement) field to do a little bit more work on the other side of the field.” The new senior investigator grew up in New York City where she graduated from SUNY College at Old Westbury. Prior to that, Mrs. West graduated from St. John’s University, went on to achieve a Master’s Degree in organization-al development psychology and a certificate in government management.
An ACRB Integrity Street Team Carnival Campaign at the Atlanta Fair
Folks come to the Atlanta Fair for fun, food and thrills. This year, depending on the day and time they arrived, they also saw our Integrity Street Team of workers passing out our information cards, and sharing the programs and services of the Atlanta Citizen Review Board. Thanks to IST members Donte Madison, Natosha and Santosha Madison, and field manager Stanley Ferguson.
A Soggy but Effective ACRB Outreach Operation at Clark Atlanta University
The postal worker’s motto is “Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds.” The same could be said for our intrepid Integrity Street Team of workers that braved the elements, showed up on time and got to work to serve ACRB information to students along the Promenade on the campus of Clark Atlanta University (CAU), across from the Woodruff Library. An unexpected heavy shower during our appointed time to be at the venue did little to dampen their spirits as they shared the message of civilian oversight of local law enforcement with the young scholars moving quickly on their way to the library, their classes, or dorm rooms. Their reaction? “They’re saying that they love the (ACRB) program,” said IST worker Tiffany Travis. “They’re saying that they are grateful that there’s information out here and that they’re being informed…This falls in line with information that they need to know.” We thank the Woodruff Library, an ACRB partner that hosted one of our community Board meetings last year, for facilitating this opportunity. “I think it’s important in society, especially with what’s going on, that minority and Black students, Black youth in general, know about awareness of dealing with police,” said Donavann Rimpsey, the library’s Coordinator of Student Communications and Outreach, “And I think what you guys are doing is very grassroots and is bringing directly to the people who need it the most. You can go to school and you can learn how to write a paper. There are certain things that no one teaches you, so if you do come in contact with law enforcement and it doesn’t go as positive as it should, you should know that there are resources available for you. So I think it’s important that these kids know that.”
ACRB Conducts a Know Your Rights Training Workshop at Georgia Tech
It was a truly auspicious occasion for ACRB in the Georgia Institute of Technology’s (Georgia Tech’s) John Lewis Student Center, as the agency held its first Know Your Rights (KYR) Training Workshop for 2024. The training was arranged by Board member Dr. Faye Floyd, a proud and active member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., who works on the Georgia Tech campus and reached out to her fellow Georgia Tech sorors. Prior to the announcement of the KYR training, none of them had ever known about the ACRB which has been operating for 15 years. Kudos to the Xi Alpha Chapter who responded to Dr. Floyd’s call by passing the word about the meeting and ultimately convening a room full of very attentive and inquisitive students. They came with many questions and prepared to learn about what to do and not do; say and not say should they encounter an Atlanta police or corrections officer. The presentation not only provided answers to those questions, but also shared with them the history of civilian oversight, the creation and structure of the ACRB; how to file a complaint and how to join our Integrity Street Team (IST) of workers that reaches out to citizens with ACRB information. 31 of them signed up to join the IST. The year’s initial KYR training benefited by the presence of Executive Director Lee Reid who attended the session and made himself available to respond to their questions. In the end there was a big round of applause and an expression of appreciation. “We sincerely enjoyed hosting the Atlanta Citizen Review Board for our social action event,” said Xi Alpha Chapter President Bethany Ponder. “The students, as well as the chapter members in attendance thought the presentation was informative and relevant to issues the black community is facing. Many students left the meeting with a deeper understanding of the law and our rights. ..This was a phenomenal and successful event and we would love to partner again!” Each of them was urged to contact the ACRB if they can convene a group to hold future KYR Training Workshops. No group is too big or too small. Call ACRB at 404-865-8622 or acrb@atlantaga.gov. A special thanks to ACRB Executive Assistant Quentin Lindley and IST worker Stanley Ferguson for their valuable assistance, and Board member Dr. Floyd for these pics.
This is Why...
The keyword in the Atlanta Citizen Review Board is CITIZEN. The agency is only as effective as the level of citizen involvement. This is why… ACRB urges all citizens to regularly monitor, question and support its work. This is why… ACRB urges all citizens to know where your elected officials stand on civilian oversight of police and correctional officers. This is why… it is so important for citizens to be registered to vote. This is why… citizens need to join and be active in community groups; get involved in Neighborhood Planning Units (NPUs); attend Public Safety meetings, Atlanta City Council meetings; ACRB KNOW YOUR RIGHTS training workshops, and become a member of the ACRB. There are currently five vacant seats, which include representatives from the Atlanta Planning Advisory Board for NPU G-L, Atlanta City Council, the Office of the Mayor, an organization representing 18-to-30-year-old youth, and the Atlanta Bar Association. Call the public comment line when the ACRB votes on issues that matter to you. ACRB’s Public Comment Line number is 404-546-7848. It is open on the second Wednesday of the month between 4:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. Your comments will be heard the next day during the monthly board meeting of the ACRB. Go to acrbgov.org for details. Thank you, citizens of Atlanta, for your continued support.