The white Cobb County police officer who told a black motorist “I don’t care about your people” during a traffic stop last month is a former Marine who has only one prior disciplinary action taken against him, according to his personnel file, obtained by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution through an open records request.
Maurice “Rocky” Lawson joined the Cobb County Police Department in 2014, after serving in the Marine Corps from 2008-2012, where he rose to the rank of corporal and was deployed in Afghanistan, according to the file.
The only disciplinary action taken against Lawson as a police officer happened after a March 18 motor vehicle pursuit of a person who sped away after being pulled over for failure to maintain his lane. Lawson pursued him after finding out he had a suspended driver’s licence — which, according to departmental policy, is not a serious enough offense to justify pursuit.
At the time of the incident, Lawson had been on the force for one year, and it was his first day on the job without a field training supervisor, according to reports.
“I am completely aware of my actions and take full responsibility for violating the policy,” Lawson wrote to the police command staff.
A dashboard video of Lawson's Nov. 16 traffic stop with Brian Baker has led several community groups last week to call for his dismissal from the department. During the stop, Lawson appeared to mock Baker and then told him: "Leave. Go away. Go to Fulton County. I don't care about your people, man, go."
When Baker questioned Lawson about that comment, the officer asked him if he wanted to get out of the car and talk to him, which Baker considered a threat.
Cobb Public Safety Director Sam Heaton has said Lawson will learn the proposed disciplinary action to be taken against him Monday, and will have 48 hours to respond. The discipline will become public after that.
Kimberly Bandoh, Baker’s attorney, said Lawson’s relatively clean record doesn’t change her opinion about what should happen to him.
“It doesn’t change anything from my perspective,” Bandoh said. “That just means other motorists did not make any complaints.”
Commissioner Lisa Cupid complained about Lawson this summer, saying she believes he profiled her and tried to "harass and intimidate." An investigation into that complaint found that Lawson did not violate departmental policy.
If you want to watch a video of the incident between Lawson and Baker, please visit myAJC.com.
About the Author
