Ten Atlanta police officers lied about events surrounding a controversial 2009 raid at a Midtown gay bar, according to an investigative report released this week, and the department on Thursday demoted a commander and placed seven others on administrative duty. Two officers previously were fired.
Maj. Deborah Williams, who oversaw one of the units that raided the Atlanta Eagle bar, was demoted to lieutenant.
Lt. Tony Crawford, Sgt. Willie Adams, Sgt. John Brock and officers Jeremy Edwards, Dimitri Jacques, Vicente Marcano and Cayenne Mayes were put on administrative duty, pending the outcome of a disciplinary review. Former officers James Menzoian and Brandon Jackson earlier lost their jobs.
The disciplinary action was meted out following the Tuesday night release of an independent report prepared by former U.S. Attorney Joe Whitley and the Greenberg Traurig law firm, and an earlier report compiled by APD's Office of Professional Standards.
“The officers were required to return their guns and badges and will not work in a law enforcement capacity until resolution of this matter,” an Atlanta police statement said. “These are preliminary decisions. Chief [George] Turner continues to digest the findings contained in the OPS and Greenberg reports and will determine the appropriate final disciplinary action for each of the accused officers.”
The raid on the Atlanta Eagle bar was staged based on reports that men were engaging in sex while others watched. About two dozen officers swarmed into the bar, shouting obscenities and anti-gay slurs, and ordering patrons to the floor. Most were handcuffed while their backgrounds were checked for criminal histories.
Eight people were arrested on charges of violating city licensing ordinances, charges that were later dismissed or dropped. A lawsuit filed two months following the raid led to a $1 million settlement, which required that an internal investigation be conducted and its findings released to the public.
The 343-page report confirmed complaints raised in the lawsuit that officers had deleted call logs, photographs and cell phone text messages, which a federal judge had ordered turned over to the lawyers for men who had filed suit. The report said the officers lied when asked about people being shoved to the floor, city ordinance violations that were witnessed and phone use that night.
The report also found that top APD officials, including then-Chief Richard Pennington, gave misleading information when responding to the media regarding a search warrant and the number complaints that prompted the action.
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