This 15 minute video is a shorter compilation of the hours of investigation we’ve produced on the Roswell Police Department. A year-long investigation by a one-man-band investigative reporter revealed institutional and systemic failures inside a large Metro Atlanta police department. By cultivating internal police sources, he was able to demand specific, hidden public records that uncovered the following scandals the Roswell Police Department tried to keep secret from the public:
• Officers arrested a driver for speeding using a ‘coin flip’ app
• Police covered up a K9 brutally mauling a teen suspect who had already surrendered
• Top sergeant intentionally froze a 13 year old boy to get him to tell the truth
• Department concealed the release of a suspected drunk driver – one of its own officers
• Officer failed to help a dying prisoner because that officer was already under investigation
There’s a common thread linking all of these incidents: police commanders quietly counseled violators within their own department until they realized that our reporter was about to inform the public. Then, and only then, did the command staff launch internal investigations, and fire or demote the offending officers. The police department engaged in elaborate cover-ups.
Three officers were fired, and the police chief resigned amid our investigations. The deputy chief abruptly retired from law enforcement. The department’s supervisor of the year was demoted from sergeant to patrol officer and docked a month’s pay.
All charges against the ‘coin flip’ driver were dismissed because we informed her about the secret game of chance used during her arrest, and we helped her get the body camera and dash camera videos police refused to give her. We were in court with a camera during her plea hearing when the prosecutor decided to dismiss the case.
The Fulton County District Attorney launched four criminal investigations of Roswell Police officers for separate incidents we uncovered. The criminal investigations are active at this time.
Three new Internal Affairs investigations were opened, and a fourth officer who beat a handcuffed suspect just resigned, because of our reporting (also under criminal investigation).
