Over the course of several committee meetings, the concept was expanded to include not only the ACCPD, but also the Sheriff’s Office, Clarke County Jail, and the county’s probation office.Īccording to the draft ordinance, the oversight board’s main duty will be to look at complaints against law enforcement officers for allegations of discrimination, abuse of authority, and other forms of misconduct. Questions were raised over the composition of the board, how it would interact with law enforcement, and how much power it would have. The committee process was at times an arduous one. The commission’s Government Operations Committee took the recommendations and began writing a draft ordinance. The integration of civilian oversight drew more attention a few months later, after many in the community were outraged by the tear-gassing of protestors in downtown Athens by ACC police officers.Įarly this year, the task force finished its work and made a set of recommendations to the Mayor and Commission.
The concept of some type of civilian police oversight has been in the works for over a year and half, since February 2020, when Mayor Kelly Girtz formed a citizens’ task force to research and explore the issue. A proposal to create a Civilian Public Safety Oversight Committee should get a final vote from Athens-Clarke County Commissioners at their meeting on Tuesday, but the outcome of that vote is far from certain.
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