A View From the Executive Director: Instant Access to the ACRB
Lee Reid, ACRB Executive Director
The Atlanta Citizen Review Board (ACRB) is always listening to the public and wants to make your access to our services more convenient. The new ACRB Public Complaint Portal is a self-service resource for you to file complaints against Atlanta police and corrections officers and receive status updates of your filed complaints at your convenience. The portal is an easier, user-friendly option in addition to our mailing, email, and in-person services at our City Hall office used to file your complaint. The complaint portal provides instant access to information about your complaint. It can be accessed from your cell phone, tablets, and computers. You can upload video, audio and images. The portal allows you to choose to be anonymous as you submit important information about what happened during your incident with local law enforcement.
Once you file a complaint on the portal, you will receive a link and reference ID number to follow up on your complaint and receive status updates. When you file your complaint, you will have the option to receive updates via text or email as the complaint moves though the ACRB process. You can also save draft complaints as you gather more information about the incident.
The public complaint portal allows the agency to increase our productivity and manage with greater efficiency and transparency. It is important to note that our complaint portal uses the latest encrypted security measures to ensure your privacy and agency security of information.
The public has spoken, and we have responded with an easier way to reach us with your complaints. For further details, please call us at 404-865-8622. ACRB is always at your service!
Atlanta City Council Votes to pay $1M to Rayshard Brooks’ family for Deadly Police Shooting
The City of Atlanta agreed Monday to pay $1 million to the family of Rayshard Brooks, a 27-year-old Black man who was fatally shot by APD officer, Garrett Rolfe, in a 2020 incident that deepened nationwide unrest in the wake of George Floyd‘s death. Atlanta City Council voted 15-0 to approve the settlement nearly three months after prosecutors determined in August that the officers involved in Brooks’ death on June 12, 2020, had “committed no crimes” and that the use of deadly force was “reasonable.” Attorneys representing Brooks’ family said in a statement, “This grieving family has been through so much during this process. Although the children of Mr. Brooks have lost their father, settling the case will undoubtedly assist them with future plans as they come of age.”
An Elaborate Swearing-in of Atlanta’s 26th Chief of Police in the City Hall Atrium
Atlanta’s Mayor Andre Dickens, Chief Operating Officer Lisa Gordon, City Council President Doug Shipman, and Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis were among the scores of top elected and law enforcement officials, judges, business leaders, community leaders and other dignitaries who attended an elaborate formal swearing-in ceremony that conferred the rank of Chief of Police Darin Schierbaum. Following a nationwide search for a new chief, the mayor in October of 2022 decided on the 20-year veteran of the Atlanta Police Department. “Chief Schierbaum shares my vision for public safety in Atlanta,” Mayor Dickens said. “He has earned my trust, the respect of our community, and the support of the women and men of the Atlanta Police Department. A proponent of 21st Century Policing, Chief Schierbaum will continue building deep ties between the Atlanta police and the community they serve.”
As Schierbaum became the head of the largest law enforcement agency in Georgia, he focused a portion of his acceptance speech on the need to save children from gangs that are turning many of them into criminals:
“…We are serving because we are in a battle for the future, the soul of our young people, our children. Today (December 7, 2022), law enforcement announced the arrest of a 15- and 16-year old that had taken the lives of a 12– and 15-year old. This is why we serve, ladies and gentlemen. The gangs cannot and will not steal the souls of our children. We will fight. They (the gangs) are not any more committed than we are, smarter than we are, outsourced than we are, and they can’t love any more than we can. We will fight gangs in this city, in Fulton County, in the State of Georgia. That is why we serve, and this is a pivotal time for us. It will take the City Council, the General Assembly, all of us putting aside politics to fight the gangs that are stealing our children and taking lives across the region. That is why we serve…I pray that God continues to prosper the City of Atlanta. I pray that God continues to prosper your administration, mayor, and that we together will serve to make Atlanta and keep Atlanta the best city in the world…”
Councilman Bond says So-Called “Cop City” Opponents Attempted a Break in on the Site
The year-long confrontation between local law enforcement and those who oppose the construction of the training complex that they call “Cop City” continued as vandals allegedly targeted and attempted to break into a highly sensitive Atlanta police office SWAT property that is part of the DeKalb County site. According to FOX5 News, Atlanta City Councilman Michael Bond, reportedly said they used cut tree limbs to break through the fencing that protects the SWAT office and accompanying buildings where special equipment is stored. A few weeks later, DeKalb County police said protesters threw objects at firefighters attempting to put out a dumpster fire near the southeast Atlanta site. Several protesters subsequently were charged after demonstrating outside the DeKalb City Jail. Three were arrested when rocks and fireworks were allegedly thrown at a fire station. A second fire nearby was set that burned down two homes under construction. Investigators are trying to determine if all the incidents are connected to the ongoing protest. City Council approved a proposal to lease 85 acres of forested land in unincorporated DeKalb County to the Atlanta Police Foundation to build a training facility for police and first responders. The remaining 180 acres would be preserved as green space. Opponents have described the plan as “the expansion of the police state.” They contend its construction threatens the future of the urban forest.
The ACRB Thanks Supporters at its Holiday Reception
(Left) ACRB Executive Director Lee Reid with Board Member Dorthey Hurst , accepting the Ivory Lee Young Stewardship Award, the agency’s highest honor. (Center) Outreach Specialist Charles Curry awards Lillie Mae Jones for her work on ACRB’s Integrity Street Team. (Right) Board Chair Tracee McDaniel is honored for six years of dedicated service to the community while serving on the Atlanta Citizen Review Board.
A great time was had by all at the Atlanta Citizen Review Board’s Holiday Reception inside the beautiful City Hall Atrium, festively decorated with holiday poinsettias and the huge Christmas tree. Besides the fun, outstanding food, and fellowship, it was a year-end opportunity for the agency to say thank you to Board members, staff and the many citizens who worked on behalf of the ACRB and supported the agency with their talents, skills and abilities. Certificates, gift cards, and plaques were awarded. It was also a moment to extend a final acknowledgement to the late Jamida Orange, a passionate supporter of the agency and sister of Board member Tamara Orange, who rarely missed a monthly Board meeting and was a voice of the community for the Board during the public comments segment of the agenda whenever she thought we needed to be made aware of an issue that required our attention. A special thanks to the event’s organizer Leah Pulliam, representing the Urban League of Greater Atlanta on our Board, who did a great job. Everyone in attendance seemed to walk away energized and looking forward to even more successes for the ACRB in 2023!
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, two vacant seats, which include: Atlanta Planning Advisory Board for NPUs A-F and one vacancy for an organization representing 18-to-30-year-old citizens. Call the public comment lines when Council or the ACRB votes on issues that matter to you. ACRB’s Public Comment Line number is 404-546-7848 and 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.
Clippers & Cops Takes its Real Talk from Barber Shops to Elementary School and College
Kudos once again to Clippers & Cops (C&C) for continuing to foster better relations between citizens and police through dialogue. Thanks for including the ACRB as C&C extended the conversations from adults in a barbershop to young scholars. Founder Tyrone Dennis and his crew received a great recep-tion from 5th graders at Miles Elementary School. The kids promised to help the ACRB by letting an adult know if they encounter police misconduct. C&C and ACRB were also well received at a statewide law enforcement job fair for students at the Atlanta Metropolitan State College, sponsored by the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE).
