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Public speakers press Atlanta officials to fire officer Melvin Potter; council asks for investigation updates and staffing data
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Summary
Relatives, advocates and community members urged the council to remove APD Officer Melvin Potter and demanded transparency on investigations; council members pressed police and law department staff for updates and counts of officers on specific dates.
Relatives of people killed or injured in police-involved incidents and criminal-justice advocates used the Public Safety and Legal Administration Committee’s July 14 public-comment period to press Atlanta officials to fire Atlanta Police Department Officer Melvin Potter and to press for quicker discipline and more transparency. The committee’s law department and several council members said they would request updates from investigative agencies and provide requested staffing data.
The appeals came from several speakers who identified themselves and their roles. Ayanna Lofton introduced herself as “the wife of Keith Lofton, who was injured in a police involved shooting back in July 07/25/2021,” and said she has been meeting with APD and the Atlanta Citizens Review Board. “APD have been responding back. We have been in meetings with APD, so things are moving forward,” Lofton said.
Devin Barrington Ward of the National Police Accountability Project described witness accounts from a Coweta County deputy who pulled over Potter in 2021 and alleged Potter was driving drunk with a service weapon, resisted a blood draw and relied on his badge to avoid arrest. “Why are y’all protecting him?” Ward asked. “He used it…to try and skirt accountability.”
Several public speakers asked why Potter remained employed while investigations and criminal charges progressed. Chasity Avery said she could not “understand why he still has a job,” and that continued pay for Potter amounted to “a slap in the face.” Belle Anderson told the committee she wanted “a thorough investigation” and asserted that firing and criminal charges are distinct steps.
Amber A. Robinson, an assistant city attorney, told the committee she had no new update from the law department at the moment but would “inquire with the Atlanta Police Department to determine whether or not there has been an update to this matter.” Robinson also said she understood that a final charging decision rested with the Fulton County district attorney, Fani Willis: “The last update that I’m aware of is that the matter was still being investigated, and that final disposition, concerning whether or not to bring charges had not been made by the district attorney, Fani Willis, at this time.”
Council Member Isha Collins said she had identified a Fulton County contact and had spoken with APD leadership about training and investigation follow-up. “We can talk to chief Sherbaum,” Collins said, and indicated the committee could “look deeper” into training and possible discipline processes. Collins and other council members asked staff to provide a deeper briefing on discipline procedures and training in a later session.
Deputy Chief Kelly Collier of APD presented the department’s crime statistics earlier in the meeting and answered members’ questions about officer distribution. Council Member Antonio Lewis and others pressed Collier for counts of officers assigned to specific zones on two dates — Dec. 31, 2024 and May 16, 2025 — so the committee can compare staffing with reported crime changes. Collier said he did not have the counts during the meeting but committed to providing them by the next committee meeting.
Discussion versus action: The session recorded no formal disciplinary action or termination related to Officer Potter. Multiple speakers urged immediate firing; legal and police staff described investigations in progress and committed to follow-up inquiries. Robinson and Collins described constraints on what city staff can disclose and on criminal charging decisions, which the district attorney controls.
Why it matters: The public comments and follow-up questions underscore continuing public concern about APD accountability, the pace of investigations, and how alleged officer misconduct affects community trust. Council members requested specific staffing and disciplinary information to evaluate patterns in crime and deployment and to inform future oversight work.
What’s next: Law department staff agreed to inquire with APD and Fulton County contacts about investigation status. Council members requested a deeper briefing on APD training and discipline processes at a future committee meeting.
