MARIETTA, Ga. – County officials have requested an independent investigation into how a Georgia police department responded to the actions of an officer who told a black driver “I don’t care about your people” in a heated exchange during a traffic stop.
Cobb County Department of Public Safety Director Sam D. Heaton said in a statement Monday that he and the county manager have asked the county attorney’s office to investigate the handling of the incident by police command staff. Suburban Cobb County is northwest of Atlanta.
“This officer’s actions and comments are unacceptable and do not reflect the attitude and vision of this department or Cobb County,” Heaton said. “I believe this incident is an isolated occurrence and not indicative of a department wide problem.”
In dashcam video of the Nov. 16 encounter, the officer is seen giving the man two traffic citations. He then says, “Leave. Go away. Go to Fulton County.” Atlanta is in Fulton County.
Police Capt. J.D. Adcock wrote in a Nov. 24 letter to the driver, 33-year-old Brian Baker, that the officer’s conduct doesn’t meet the department’s standards. An investigation found that the officer violated the department’s code of conduct, the letter says. The officer is referred to only by last name.