ATLANTA — The Georgia House of Representatives passed a bill on Wednesday that backers say could eliminate some roadside confrontations between motorists and police.
The bill would allow folks to accept traffic citations without signing the ticket. Backers of HB 1054 say roadside encounters between motorists and police are becoming more contentious – and this is a way to defuse some of that.
"I’ve had people really get upset about having to sign one," said state Rep. Bill Hitchens (R-Rincon), a former Georgia State Patrol commander who cosponsored the bill to give motorists the option to sign or not sign a citation.
The legislation comes after Atlanta police body cam video showed a lengthy confrontation of an incident that occurred last August between a motorist, Johnny Hollman, and a police officer who responded to a roadside call Hollman had made to 911. It got heated when the officer told Hollman he had been at fault for a collision – then more heated when the officer insisted Hollman sign the citation, which Hollman refused.
RELATED: 'Do something!' | Family speaks after bodycam video released in Johnny Hollman's police tasing death
In the case, the body cam video showed the APD officer using his Taser on the 62-year-old church deacon after he refused to sign. An autopsy report by the Fulton County Medical Examiner's Office revealed that he died due to the shock from a Taser, which sent him into Cardiac Dysrhythmia. The officer was subsequently terminated over the incident for failing to "have a supervisor on the scene prior to proceeding with the physical arrest after Mr. Hollman refused to sign the citation."
State Rep. Yasmin Neal (D-Jonesboro) is a former Clayton County police officer and sheriff deputy who pushed the bill through the House, overwhelmingly supported by both political parties. Neal said that one would still have to show up to court if one didn't sign the ticket.
"It’s nice to know we can move it, and we can pass it and make sure everyone goes home safe at the end of the night. That’s the ultimate goal," Neal said.
The bill still has to make it through the Senate to get to the governor’s desk. The legislative session has sixteen days left.