SOUTH FULTON, Ga. — (Correction: A previous version of this article incorrectly stated that the officer involved in Deacon Holman's death had been charged with homicide. The officer has not been charged in this case.)
South Fulton Police will no longer require a signature on traffic citations. This comes after Deacon Johnny Hollman died last summer following a confrontation with Atlanta Police.
The confrontation stemmed from Hollman not wanting to sign a traffic citation. The officer involved in the confrontation was terminated but has not been charged.
On Tuesday, the City of South Fulton Council unanimously passed the resolution.
Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens previously ordered police to no longer require a signature for traffic citations after this incident. However, the City of South Fulton is the first municipality to pass it as a law.
11Alive previously obtained bodycam video of the interaction between Hollman and Atlanta Police. The interaction caught the attention of City of South Fulton Councilwoman Zenobia Willis.
"People don't have to lose their life because they refuse to sign a ticket," Willis said.
Hollman was involved in a car crash on Aug. 10, 2023, and refused to sign the citation. That's when an officer tried to place him under arrest and Tased him.
The 62-year-old then became unresponsive and died at the hospital.
"If he would just have been issued a citation and been cited on a citation, refused to sign and allowed to go on his merry way, the officer would have had his job and Deacon Hollman would have had his life," Willis said. "Sometimes, when people are stopped for traffic violations, they're nervous. Some people are not as comfortable with police. The relationships are not where it should be, and this will allow the de-escalation to take place."
South Fulton Police Chief Keith Meadows also supports the resolution and said the reason officers ask for a signature is to ensure someone's appearance in court.
"I believe this measure will take us in the right place we want to be," Meadows said. "After we've had countless meetings with our court staff, we found the number of attendance for people who attend court is almost identical to those individuals that don't actually sign their citation."
The resolution will go into effect within 90 days. Councilwoman Willis said she's spoken to a state lawmaker about drafting a similar bill on the state level.
