By Special to the Daily World
Atlanta Police Chief George N. Turner will suspend Major Rodney Bryant for 15 days without pay as the result of a City of Atlanta Law Department investigation. The investigation focused on whether former city employee Tracy Reed, who voluntarily resigned from the City of Atlanta on Nov. 4, received preferential treatment from the Atlanta Police Department during traffic stops on May 4 and Oct. 28 of this year. Turner’s decision is consistent with previous disciplinary action imposed upon police officers for similar violations.
The Law Department investigation concluded that on Oct. 28, Bryant “failed to properly ascertain all of the information relative to the traffic stop available at the scene prior to allowing [Tracy] Reed to drive unlawfully onto the public roadway while his license was expired and suspended.” The investigation notes that the arrest warrant issued by the Atlanta Municipal Court on Oct. 6 was not known to be in existence by the officers at the time of the Oct. 28 traffic stop.
Atlanta Municipal Court bench warrants are not included in the Atlanta Criminal Information Center (ACIC) database.
While the investigation found anecdotal evidence that it was unusual for Bryant to intervene in the May 4 traffic stop, the investigation found no evidence that the decision by Bryant and the responding officer to issue a copy of charges and notice of suspension was inconsistent with Standard Operating Procedures.
The City of Atlanta’s Department of Human Resources also released its investigation regarding Tracy Reed’s use of city vehicles. The report concluded that while Reed did have appropriate authorization to operate a city-owned vehicle per his manager and in line with current policies, he violated the city’s Vehicle Use Policy by operating a city-owned vehicle without a valid driver’s license.
As a result of the investigation’s findings, the Department of Human Resources has begun implementing five changes to the city’s Vehicle Use Policy, including complete the ongoing policy implementation requiring all employees who operate city vehicles to provide consent for review of their Motor Vehicle Record (MVR); update current Vehicle Use Policy to reflect current operating needs and reissue to all employees who currently operate city vehicles or who may operate them in the future; and complete a citywide review of all employees who are authorized to take vehicles home overnight to ensure compliance with the policy.
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