Cobb County police review to cost $95,000; take four months
A review of Cobb County’s police department by an outside agency will cost about $95,000 and take four to six months to complete, according to a presentation to commissioners Tuesday afternoon.
Public Safety Director Sam Heaton said there are a handful of organizations that could perform the review, and he plans to bring forward a Request for Proposal at the Feb. 9 commission meeting that will be a first step toward the assessment being performed.
“We have a great department, but there are trust issues with some people in the community,” Heaton said. “Whether those trust issues are real or perceived doesn’t really matter. We have a trust issue so we have to address it.”
Heaton said there are several departmental policies that are currently under internal review, including its complaint process; disciplinary proceedings; search and seizure and body camera policies; and its policy against bias-based profiling.
Heaton told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution after the meeting that those polices and procedures will also be part of the larger, external review. Heaton said there also needs to be more “transparency with the community” regarding the departments policies and procedures.
The departmental review from an outside agency has a number of goals, the primary of which is to provide metrics and an action plan to build a better department by:
- Creating and sustaining creative and constructive partnerships with the community.
- Employing the most contemporary policies and programs.
- Maximizing the return and value on resources.
- Sustaining a stimulating and rewarding work environment.
Commissioners called for the review after two high-profile incidents during the past six months.
Over the summer, Commissioner Lisa Cupid complained about being followed late at night by an undercover officer, implying that she was racially profiled by saying the incident would not have happened in a more affluent area of the county.
Four months later, the same officer pulled over an African American driver and was heard telling the driver to go back to Fulton County because "I don't care about you people." The officer maintained that it was not a racial comment; that he was referring to people who harass the police.
Regardless, the police command staff has recommended an unpaid two-week suspension for Lawson related to the traffic stop. He was cleared of wrongdoing in the Cupid incident.
“I think it’s a pretty ambitious plan … (and) I do like the idea of having an outside agency instead of an internal review,” Ott said.
About the Author
Dan Klepal is editor of the local government team, supervising nine reporters covering county and municipal governments and metro Atlanta. Klepal came to the AJC in 2012, after a long career covering city halls in Cincinnati and Louisville, Ky. He has covered Gwinnett and Cobb counties before spending three years on the investigative team.
