Georgia State Rep Challenges Benefit Granted to Indicted Law Officers

Law Enforcement officers in Georgia who are facing indictment, have a privilege the average citizen doesn’t have.
Georgia is the only state that allows the officer to actually sit-in on grand jury deliberations of the case.
But a lawmaker wants to change that law–in light of numerous shooting incidents involving officers.

It there’s an officer involved shooting, chances are someone has a video of the incident. And that visual evidence, sometimes from the officer’s own body cam, usually helps determine if the shooting was justified.
The state of Georgia allows officers who face indictment for shootings or other crimes, to hear grand jury testimony that may be aimed at him, or her.

MCCRACKEN POSTON, ATTORNEY “Almost 200 police shootings ..I think in the 170’s in the last 5 years in Georgia. Only one, has been indicted.”

Ringgold attorney McCracken Poston once represented an officer under those conditions. And he has doubts that its fair.

MCCRACKEN POSTON “If one side is getting to tell anything with absolutely no recourse, or no checking up on what they said, that’s subject to abuse.”

State Representative Rich Golick has introduced legislation to keep the officer from listening-in on witness testimony, and also making it possible for him or her to be questioned by the district attorney.

Many in law enforcement disagree.

SHERIFF GARY SISK, CATOOSA COUNTY “I think a law enforcement officer should be granted the ability to make sure that when that’s being decided about the difficult decisions they have to make on a daily basis, that they should have the ability to hear what’s being said.”

Sheriff Gary Sisk says the public’s attitude toward law enforcement is volatile right now.

SHERIFF GARY SISK “I think that a lot of it is partly that we need to do a better job in educating the community and talking about what we do on a regular basis.”

But, the question remains, should the law that helps an officer defend his or her actions in dealing with the public be modified?

MCCRACKEN POSTON ” I think officers should be allowed to protect themselves …but we’ve seen abuses of that.”

Sheriff Sisk says his department has arranged to buy sophisticated training equipment that helps officers determine when extra force is needed to get a volatile situation under control.