The case of two Decatur police officers who lost their jobs under suspicion of the theft of $7 has taken another twist. Civil rights and defense attorney Mawuli Davis called a press conference Monday afternoon calling for the return of Lt. Eric Jackson to the city’s police force.
Davis said he met with Jackson and his lawyer Max Hirsch when the former Decatur Officer of the Year filed a complaint against the Decatur Police Department with Davis, who is also president of the Decatur NAACP.
According to Jackson, he and Officer Joshua L. Speed, were searching for a missing microphone in another officer’s patrol car when Speed found $7 inside the vehicle. He gave $2 of it to Jackson. It was the end of his shift so Jackson went home. By the time he returned for his next shift, another officer had filed a complaint against Jackson and Speed, accusing them of theft.
Jackson, who was the highest-ranking black officer on the Decatur force, resigned in lieu of termination. Speed, who’s white, was terminated two days later, according to reports filed with the Peace Officer Standards and Training Council.
Jackson told Davis he was that officer’s superior and there had been previous friction between the two. According to Davis, some weeks earlier in reviewing video, Jackson determined that this officer who is white was giving too many tickets to blacks for damaged headlights. Jackson told Davis that the general practice is to issue a warning. Jackson reported this to his superior.
So far nobody in city government, or within the police department, has gone on record about precisely what happened.
“Our hope is to get [Jackson’s] job back and have his record clear,” Davis said. “This is something that is manageable. Eric is very active in the community and he’s well respected. Looking at it from an attorney’s viewpoint, he didn’t spend it, he didn’t have intent [to steal]. He is not to be discarded for something as trivial as $2.”
Although the NAACP’s focus is on Jackson, Davis said both officers should be reinstated.
Both officers filed appeals and the results of a grievance hearing should be back this week. Decatur City Manager Peggy Merriss told the AJC the decision for termination will either be upheld or the discipline will be reduced.
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