SOUTH FULTON, Ga. — The City of South Fulton is recruiting residents to be part of a new police review board. The board would specifically review use of force incidents – and collaborate with police brass on how to reduce such incidents.
In 2021, a City of South Fulton resident recorded with his cell phone a verbal exchange with a police officer following a traffic incident. The cell phone video showed the encounter escalating into a confrontation – with the officer apparently pulling out his taser before locking the resident in his patrol car.
South Fulton’s new use of force citizen review board would access evidence like this, as well as body cam video worn by police, to help guide police policy, says councilwoman Helen Zenobia Willis.
"They will simply be able to ask questions. And if they have additional concerns they are able to flag those concerns," Willis said Thursday.
The board will not, however, be able to weigh in on discipline. In the 2021 case, the police chief suspended officer Solomon Muhammad for three days. And the chief would retain sole discretion to discipline officers.
Willis said the new board will complement a new South Fulton city policy that prevents police from hiring officers who have been disciplined by other police departments in use-of-force cases.
"What this allows is transparency to be established, and trust," Willis said.
South Fulton’s use of force board will begin its work next year. Training for its citizen members, however, is expected to start in the next few weeks.