• Home
  • About
    • Authors
  • Advertise
  • Articles
    • Archives
    • Chaplain
    • Crime & Controversy
    • Community
    • Cop Humor
    • Editorial
    • Op-ed
    • Gear & Technology
    • Investigations
    • Laws & Legal
    • Leadership
    • News
    • Officer Down
    • On Duty
    • Tactics
  • Network
    • Learn more
  • Training
  • Officer Privacy
  • Jobs
  • Contact
No Result
View All Result
Law Officer
Law Officer
No Result
View All Result

‘Due process matters’: Woke officials denied officer due process; his firing must be reversed

Officer Garret Rolfe was denied due process his dismissal has now been reversed

Garrett Rolfe

Officer Garrett Rolfe (Atlanta Police Department)

May 5, 2021
Law OfficerbyLaw Officer
Share and speak up for justice, law & order...

ATLANTA — A lawyer for Police Officer Garrett Rolfe said Wednesday that the City of Atlanta’s Civil Service Board’s decision to reinstate his client was the right move, sending the message that “due process matters.” Rolfe was terminated nearly immediately following the fatal shooting of Rayshard Brooks last summer. The Civil Board decided Tuesday that the officer was indeed denied his right to due process.“

We are very excited that the Civil Board says that due process matters,” attorney Lance LoRusso said in a statement, according to CNN. LoRusso added that his client’s “reinstatement will likely take some time, but he intended to get his client back to work.”“Due to the City’s failure to comply with several provisions of the Code and the information received during witnesses’ testimony, the Board concludes the Appellant was not afforded his right to due process,” the board said. “Therefore, the Board GRANTS the Appeal of Garrett Rolfe and revokes his dismissal as an employee of the APD.”

Rayshard Brooks shooting
Garrett Rolfe (Atlanta Police Department)

Rolfe was hit with felony charges in the death of Brooks a week after the fatal shooting took place in a Wendy’s parking lot. The reinstated officer is currently facing 11 counts, including felony murder and assault with a deadly weapon, Daily Wire reported.

Following the reinstatement, the Atlanta Police Department emphasized that the board “did not make a determination as to whether officer Rolfe violated Atlanta Police Department policies.”

“It is important to note that the CSB did not make a determination as to whether officer Rolfe violated Atlanta Police Department policies,” the department said in a statement. “In light of the CSB’s rulings, APD will conduct an assessment to determine if additional investigative actions are needed.”

Back in June, Atlanta Police Department homicide detective assigned to the Brooks case, Al Hogan, sided with Rolfe in a defense filing, noting that he would have brought 10 charges against Brooks had he survived the incident, Daily Wire reported.

“Atlanta PD detective assigned to the [Rayshard Brooks] investigation says he would have charged Brooks — not Rolfe — with 10 counts, including multiple felonies,” posted legal analyst Philip Holloway. Captioning a screenshot of Hogan’s letter, Holloway noted: “Usually law enforcement are witnesses for the state but this is from a defense filing.”

READ IT: #AtlantaPD detective assigned to the #RayshardBrooks investigation says he would have charged Brooks – not Rolfe – with 10 counts, including multiple felonies. Usually law enforcement are witnesses for the state but this is from a defense filing. pic.twitter.com/huj903b7Tu

— Philip Holloway 😊 (@PhilHollowayEsq) June 29, 2020

Former prosecutor, Paul Howard Jr. was accused of political grandstanding when filing criminal charges against Rolfe, Law Officer reported.

“Mr. Books on the night of this incident, was calm. He was cordial. And really displayed a cooperative nature,” Howard said at the time. “We concluded and considered it as one of our important considerations that Mr. Brooks never presented himself as a threat.”

Howard’s comments conflicted with video evidence of the encounter.

LoRusso also represented two Atlanta police officers who were fired for excessive force last summer and had their terminations reversed in February, Law Officer reported.

Mark Gardner and Ivory Streeter were fired for pulling two college students from a car and deploying a Taser on them during summer protests. As a result, they filed a lawsuit against Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms and then Police Chief Erika Shields last year. (Shields has since moved on to the Louisville Metropolitan Police Department.)

The lawsuit accuses the City of Atlanta and its Police Department of firing the officers in violation of the city’s code, without investigation, proper notice, or a pre-disciplinary hearing.


Share and speak up for justice, law & order...
Tags: atlantaAtlanta Police DepartmentCivil Service Boarddue processFeatureGarrett RolfeGeorgiaLance LoRussomust-read
Law Officer

Law Officer

Law Officer is the only major law enforcement publication and website owned and operated by law enforcement—for law enforcement and supporters of justice, law, and order. This unique facet makes Law Officer much more than just a publishing company, but a true advocate for the law enforcement profession.

Related Posts

Incriminate yourself

You Have the Right to Incriminate Yourself

August 27, 2024
Ashlee Crawley

Georgia couple arrested after offering sex with 2-year-old daughter

July 1, 2024
female college student

Female college student shot and killed on campus in Georgia by ‘armed intruder’

May 19, 2024
Keante Harris

Alabama middle-school assistant principal among four arrested, linked to 2013 triple homicide

May 16, 2024
Atlanta Police Department

Atlanta Police Department identifies three officers wounded during weekend shooting

May 14, 2024
Brian Kemp

Georgia governor signs law that requires jails to check immigration status and cooperate with federal law enforcement authorities

May 6, 2024
Load More

Latest Articles

I’m Not Broken, I’m Dangerous

July 4, 2025

The Problem with Promotions

June 20, 2025
Melissa Hortman

Former Minnesota House Speaker Assassinated in Attack on Multiple Lawmakers

June 14, 2025

Sheriff: If You Throw a Brick At Our Deputy, ‘We Will Kill You, Graveyard Dead’

June 13, 2025

Former USAID Officer and Executives Plead Guilty in $550 Million Bribery Scheme

June 13, 2025

A Case Study in Federal Corruption and Media Silence

June 12, 2025
Load More

Weekly E-Newsletter

Subscribe—and get the latest news and editorials direct from Law Officer each week!

[newsletter_form type="minimal"]

Protect Your Privacy

JOIN THE FIGHT

BE COURAGEOUS

POPULAR GEAR

Tactical Pants

Tactical Boots

 

FIND MORE…

Law Officer

© 2024 LawOfficer.com

LawOfficer.com

  • Home
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Privacy Policy
  • Corrections
  • Contact

Speak up for justice, law & order

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • About
    • Authors
  • Advertise
  • Articles
    • Archives
    • Chaplain
    • Crime & Controversy
    • Community
    • Cop Humor
    • Editorial
    • Op-ed
    • Gear & Technology
    • Investigations
    • Laws & Legal
    • Leadership
    • News
    • Officer Down
    • On Duty
    • Tactics
  • Network
    • Learn more
  • Training
  • Officer Privacy
  • Jobs
  • Contact

© 2024 LawOfficer.com