Fulton County Sheriff Patrick Labat has escalated his battle with county leaders over how his office spends money, warning in a new lawsuit he can’t get critical resources because of unnecessary bureaucracy.
The sheriff filed a lawsuit against the county Tuesday, accusing its board of commissioners of thwarting his efforts to buy essential items including Narcan, the medication used to reverse an opioid overdose. He asked an Atlanta judge to void a 2024 purchasing ordinance he says is unconstitutional.
“People may die,” the sheriff’s lawyer, Christopher Balch, told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Wednesday in relation to the county’s alleged interference in law enforcement. “Any time you interfere unnecessarily and unlawfully with the essential job functions of the constitutional office of sheriff, you interfere with public safety by definition.”
Fulton commissioners clash over Sheriff Labat’s spending
A county representative declined to comment while the matter is litigated…