Council votes to revoke DeKalb sheriff's certification over Piedmont Park incident

DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — The Georgia Peace Officer Standards and Training Council has voted to revoke the DeKalb County Sheriff's certification.

Sheriff Jeffrey Mann was arrested in May at Piedmont Park, where he was accused of exposing his private parts and running from police.

He later reached a plea deal and was banned from all Atlanta parks for six months.;

POST opened up its own investigation and the accreditation council made its decision Wednesday.

"This may be the beginning of the end of his career," Channel 2 legal analyst Esther Panitch said. "You cannot be a sheriff in Georgia without POST certification."

Mann will now have time to appeal the decision after his letter of notification is delivered.

RELATED STORIES:

• DeKalb sheriff ran after being caught in park for indecent acts, police say
• DeKalb sheriff returns to work following state suspension
• DeKalb sheriff banned from all city parks as part of guilty plea

In a statement, Mann told Channel 2 Action News he learned of the vote through media reports and he won't comment until he's been notified of the council's intent.

Experts say if Mann wins the appeal and desires to remain sheriff, the political road ahead could be tough.

"It would be very difficult for him to give campaign calls and give press conferences without this being a running theme against him," Panitch said.

The POST council will formally notify Mann of their vote over the next several days. He has a 30-day period to appeal.

Cox Media Group