ATLANTA — On the day that Atlanta Police showed body camera video to the family of Johnny Hollman, the church deacon who died after a struggle with officers following a car crash, the department announced changes to its standard operating procedure in regard to those who refuse to sign traffic citations.
It comes at the discretion of Mayor Andre Dickens, who directed APD to conduct an in-depth review of the department's training curriculum and operating guidelines after Hollman died on Aug. 10.
APD described the incident as "several minutes of struggling" between the deacon and the arresting officer, which included the deployment of the officer's Taser, although it's unclear if Hollman was struck by the Taser. Not long after, Hollman became unresponsive.
After the comprehensive evaluation, Atlanta Police said in a statement they will no longer arrest those who opt not to sign a traffic citation -- allowing officers to write "refusal to sign" in the signature line. Atlanta Police also announced what their officers are now instructed to do if a similar situation presents itself.
- APD officers will have the driver sign the traffic citation so they are aware of the violation and their court date. If the driver refuses, the officer is supposed to tell them the signature is not an admission of guilt, but rather so they are just aware.
- If the driver stands by the refusal to sign, the APD officer will now write "refusal to sign" and issue a copy of the charges instead of physically arresting the driver, which was the previous direction officers were given prior to Hollman's death.
Atlanta Police said they will share the full results of the investigation into Hollman's death at the conclusion of their own investigation and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation's analysis.