Georgia Appleseed Report: Race, Law Enforcement and the Law
After several high profile police shootings or physical restraints resulting in the death of a minority community member, the Mayor of a major city in
Georgia asked Georgia Appleseed to
assist in facilitating meaningful community discussion of these issues. That was in late 2014.
Georgia Appleseed approached the project
with the belief that all
Georgians should live in communities that are safe and where we engage each other with the highest level of mutual dignity, respect and responsibility without regard to race or ethnicity.
In Spring of 2015, Georgia Appleseed began the process of having in-depth interviews with approximately 140 stakeholders (law enforcement personnel, prosecutors, defense lawyers, neighborhood associations, faith leaders, political leaders, nonprofits, and more) throughout all of Georgia.
The final report includes 11 recommendation points:
- Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)
- Public Access to SOPs
- Clarifying Use of Force Law
- Officer Training Curriculum Review and Revision
- Expanded Collection of Detention Information
- Reporting Incidents of Concern
- Department Demographics
- Disclosure of Incident Information
- Independent Investigations
- Charging Decisions
- Peace Officer Grand Jury Participation
The report has been published, and next steps include conversation and discussion.
The full report Seeking the Beloved Community: Fostering Crucial Conversations about Race, Law Enforcement and the Law is available here
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