EQUAL JUSTICE IN LAW ENFORCEMENT SYMPOSIUM
On January 14 , 2016 , national and local leaders from law enforcement , citizen advocate groups , academia , the legal community and the judiciary convened at the Georgia State University Law School for an all-day symposium as part of the Atlanta Bar Association ’ s Equal Justice in Law Enforcement (“ EJLE ”) Initiative .
Atlanta Bar Association President Harold E . Franklin , Jr . established the EJLE Initiative to engage the legal community and key stakeholders ( citizens and the law enforcement community ) in a focused collaborative effort to help prevent and lessen the potential for law enforcement shootings and / or the use of excessive force involving unarmed non-violent citizens .
The day began with the Georgia Appleseed Center for Law and Justice ’ s first pubic presentation of its “ Seeking the Beloved Community : Fostering Crucial Conversations about Race , Law Enforcement and the Law ” report which deals with encounters between the police and the public . The report is based on more than 140 interviews with law enforcement personnel , prosecutors , defense lawyers , political leaders and others . Presented by Rob Rhodes and Tremaine “ Teddy ” Reese , the report produced several finding and recommendations . See full report .
The keynote speaker was University of Chicago School Law School Professor Craig Futterman , founder of the Civil Rights and Police Accountability Project , who began his talk with video interviews of black high school students sharing their feelings on police and police encounters . Two panel discussions on Police Citizen Encounter Issues were moderated by CNN Anchor Fredricka Whitfield which gave healthy discussion on topics such as police training , the proper use of force , standard operating procedures for police and how mental health and substance abuse issues affect police citizen encounters . Included among the panelists were : Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard , US Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia John Horn , Association of Police Chiefs Executive Director Frank Rotondo , and Loyola University Professor Ron W . Serpas , Co-Chair of Law Enforcement Leaders to Reduce Crime and Incarceration .
Retired Fulton County Juvenile Judge Glenda Hatchett moderated “ A View from the Bench ” which featured panelists Georgia Supreme Court Justice Robert Benham , State Court of Appeals Judges Carla McMillian and M . Yvette Miller , Fulton County Superior Court Judge Henry Newkirk , DeKalb County Superior Court Judge Mark Anthony Scott and retired U . S . Magistrate Judge Clayton Scofield III .
The final discussion of the day , Changes in the Law Panel Discussion , was moderated by The Honorable Michael J . Boggs , Co-Chair of the Georgia Council on Criminal Justice Reform . A full listing of panelists and program topics can be found here .
8 THE ATLANTA LAWYER January 2016 The Official News Publication of the Atlanta Bar Association