APD cops accused of fondling men during traffic stop

By Christian Boone

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Two men pulled over by Atlanta police last June say they were fondled and humiliated by three officers with APD's Red Dog unit, Channel 2 Action News reports.

Brian Kidd told the station one of the unnamed officers reached down his pants while subjecting his friend to a body cavity search. Two of the officers were involved in the controversial Atlanta Eagle raid in September 2009, attorney Dan Grossman told Channel 2. The city recently agreed to a $1 million legal settlement requiring police reforms and an internal investigation into the planning and execution of the ill-fated raid, which turned up no criminal activity.

The officers involved in the traffic stop are being investigated by the APD. In a statement, police spokesperson Carlos Campos said evidence suggests inappropriate conduct that may result in dismissals.

"The Atlanta Police Department is in the process of concluding the internal investigation into this matter," Campos said. "There is evidence to suggest that some of the officers' actions during this traffic stop were inappropriate. As a result, Chief [George] Turner intends to move swiftly to discipline some of the officers with actions up to, and including, dismissal.

"All three officers involved have been placed on administrative duty in non-enforcement capacity pending disciplinary decisions. The Atlanta Police Department expects its officers to be truthful at all times, to follow all policies and procedures and to follow all of the local, state and federal laws they are sworn to uphold. Failure to do so will not be tolerated."

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