Residents and family members press committee for answers on alleged police misconduct and stalled investigations

At the Feb. 10 meeting of the Public Safety Legal Administration Committee, multiple members of the public spoke during the committee's public-comment period to demand updates and accountability in pending police investigations.

Jay Wesley Day and others told the committee they are still awaiting justice in cases they described as mishandled; Day said he was beaten on Edgewood Avenue, charged, and has seen limited prosecution of his assailants. Reverend Washington and other speakers also made allegations about specific officers and past investigations. Several speakers pressed the committee to obtain witness statements and to pursue administrative or criminal follow-up.

Speakers focused heavily on one set of related cases involving the family of a man named Devon Anderson. A sequence of speakers, including a woman who identified herself as Devon Anderson's mother and two friends, asked why the investigation had produced few public updates and why certain witnesses had not been interviewed. "It's been over 6 months now, and nobody's doing anything about it," a speaker said of the family's efforts to seek answers.

Councilmember Antonio Lewis and others asked the police to follow up on a named potential witness, Lakeisha Riley; Lewis asked the chief directly whether Riley had been interviewed and requested that the department check that matter when the police chief presented later in the meeting. Councilmember Isha Collins, speaking from her experience as a former criminal defense attorney, said the committee should not be expected to disclose investigative details in a public forum while an active probe proceeds but urged staff to connect families with investigators and promised the committee was listening.

Chief Sharon Darren Sherbaum told the committee that the Georgia Bureau of Investigation is leading a particular investigation mentioned by speakers and that the department has requested the GBI file from the district attorney's office so the police can determine appropriate administrative or employment actions. Regarding one officer identified in public comment, Sherbaum said the officer "remains in a non-enforcement status" while the department awaits clarity from the investigative file.

Committee members and staff offered to set follow-up meetings: a committee staffer said the office would arrange meetings with police or solicitors to answer procedural questions, and the chief said her office maintains case investigators and supervisors as primary contacts for families who need updates.

Speakers repeatedly said they would continue to attend meetings until they perceived progress in investigations involving family members. Council members acknowledged the emotional toll of these cases, expressed sympathy and asked both the chief and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation to prioritize transferring investigative files so the department can move toward employment or charging decisions where appropriate.