Tie vote means McDonough police proposal fails

The McDonough City Council deadlocked at its Sept. 3 regular meeting on the potential creation of a task force and eventually a citizen review board to address policing issues. With one council member absent, the vote on Sandra Vincent’s motion to establish the task force and give the go-ahead to create the citizen review board was 3-3. Voting with Vincent were Kamali Varner and Rufus Stewart, while the no votes came from Craig Elrod, Roger Pruitt and Mayor Billy Copeland.

In the ensuing discussion, Varner remarked that the city established a citizen review board many years ago in response to an officer-involved shooting that took place in the city, and added that she supports the idea as a protective measure in light of all that is happening in the nation currently regarding the relationship between police and citizens.