In a significant move to enhance transparency and accountability, the Atlanta Police Department (APD) will now be required to report officer-involved shootings and other use-of-force incidents to the city’s Citizen Review Board within 24 hours. As reported by 11Alive, this policy is part of a new memorandum of understanding between APD and the review board, presented to the City Council’s Public Safety Committee on Monday.
The agreement, which does not require City Council approval, is the result of six months of negotiations. It follows reports that the Citizen Review Board had failed to investigate numerous deadly force cases since 2020. Lee Reid, the board’s executive director, confirmed that the policy is ready for immediate implementation.
Under the new guidelines, APD must report incidents such as officer-involved shootings, deaths in custody, serious bodily injuries in custody, and firearm discharges within the 24-hour window. Additionally, the department will notify the board when internal use-of-force disciplinary cases are closed. In return, the board will provide its recommendations on disciplinary actions to the police chief, the mayor’s chief of staff, and the City Council within three days…