ATLANTA — Channel 2 Action News has learned that a sheriff deputy forced to resign because of an improper relationship with a high schooler has been rehired to train officers in a Cobb County police department.
Channel 2′s Michael Doudna has found that second chances like this aren’t uncommon. His investigation found more than 200 members of local law enforcement who have resigned instead of being terminated and have since been rehired.
We obtained a recording from 2015 of Douglas County Sheriff’s Office superiors telling Sgt. Andrew Dwyane Taylor they plan to fire him for an improper relationship that started when a 17-year-old asked for help.
“Dwayne, I’ll tell you right off the bat, I just don’t see where you can stay working here,” the recording said.
“Did you trust them?” Doudna asked the victim’s mother, whom we are not identifying.
“Very much. Very much,” the mother said.
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She said after her now ex-husband destroyed her daughter’s room, her daughter went to the Taylors—a family they had known for years—with their own high school-aged daughter.
“So his wife calls me and tells me that it’s OK, that my child is safe,” the mother said.
But a few weeks after moving in, the 45-year-old Taylor tried to kiss the teenager.
A few weeks later…
“I asked her. I said, ‘Is there anything inappropriate going on between you and Dwayne?’ It’s very quiet. And I just heard a real quiet. ‘Yes.’ And I immediately threw up,” the mother said.
According to documents from Douglas County, Taylor admitted to investigators he had sex multiple times a week, including while he was on duty.
“I’m not a sexual predator,” Taylor told his supervisors on the recording.
Legally, he’s right. The age of consent in Georgia is 16.
“You can’t be a police officer and do things like that. Who’s going to trust you? Who would trust you? I wouldn’t trust you,” the mother said.
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“If it did get out, it would undermine the confidence that the public has or the respect that the public has for our office,” superiors with the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office said on the recording.
Taylor begged that day for his job, asking for anything short of a termination.
“I know that means I could never work in law enforcement again,” he said.
After an appeal, Douglas County allowed him to resign instead.
The Georgia Peace Officer Standards and Training Council – or POST – originally recommended he lose his ability to work in law enforcement.
On appeal, he got probation.
Months later, he was hired as an officer at the Austell Police Department.
“We don’t trust the justice system,” the mother told Doudna.
According to POST, since 2015, more than 1,600 Georgia law enforcement officers have resigned in lieu of termination, and 18% are currently in law enforcement departments around the state.
“I don’t think it’s that surprising, frankly that that number is where it is,” said Chris Harvey, deputy executive director at POST. “These men and women are out here dealing in a very dynamic environment, a dangerous environment, doing the best they can and sometimes they get it wrong. Sometimes they make a mistake.”
Harvey said having that appeals system is important.
“The same way that in the criminal justice system, not everyone who is charged is found guilty,” Harvey said.
The Austell Police Department sent Doudna a statement, saying in part: “Andrew Taylor exercised his rights and followed a protocol laid out by POST.”
“The council considers a wide number of things when they make the recommendation. What’s the history of this officer? How long have they been an officer? Have they had previous disciplinary issues?” Harvey said.
While Taylor is back to work, the family is left scarred, losing trust in a man, and a system.
“Don’t be quite so trusting. Even with people that you know,” the victim’s mother said.
Doudna contacted Taylor for this story and after a lengthy off-the-record discussion with him over the phone, he declined to comment.
The Austell Police Department did release a statement, saying:
“Andrew Taylor was hired by the Austell Police Department in 1992 and again in 2017. Chief Hamilton became the Chief of the Austell Police Department in August of 2022. As Chief Hamilton assumed leadership in August 2022, he lacks insight into the hiring practices or procedures undertaken by prior administrations.
From the information you provided in your email Andrew Taylor exercised his rights and followed a protocol laid out by POST. For any detailed explanation concerning the handling of his case during that period we recommend contacting POST and former members of the Austell Police Department Command Staff.
Given Chief Hamilton’s tenure as Chief commenced after the events you are inquiring about, it would be inappropriate for him to conduct interviews or provide commentary on a period preceding his leadership within the department.”
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