Former Fulton county juvenile probation officer says he’s turning setback into a mission

Bruce Griggs’ passion is crime reduction, especially in juveniles. He is a former Fulton County juvenile probation officer who says he was fired from his job after being accused of serving the community while on the county’s dime.

He spoke exclusively to Channel 2′s Ashli Lincoln about why he says those allegations are untrue.

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Griggs was heartbroken when he was fired from the Fulton County juvenile court. Now he says he’s focusing on crime reduction measures full-time.

“It felt like a dump truck hit me,” Griggs said, “I was hurt, I was disappointed, I was angry.”

That’s how he describes the moment he received a letter notifying him of his termination.

He says he was told he was fired after being accused of an interview with Channel 2 last March while on the job. Back then, we followed Griggs on the evening of March 8 as he canvassed a southwest Atlanta neighborhood, handing out information flyers after a teen was killed near the Atlanta Fair.

Griggs denies double-dipping as an activist and county probation officer.

Lincoln reached out to the Fulton County juvenile court for comment, but they have not responded.

Instead of filing legal action against the county, Griggs says he’s turning that energy into purpose.

“Resolution came after prayer,” Griggs said. “There’s an urgent need for help, I don’t have time to concentrate on what happened at juvenile court.”

Griggs, who is also a retired Atlanta police officer, has been intervening in the lives of delinquent juveniles for more than 20 years through his nonprofit operation Correct Start.

“These kids need our help,” Griggs said. “We have a state of emergency.”

With recent headlines of teens pulling out weapons on the Atlanta beltline, Griggs is giving new life into his “Saving Our Sons” initiative.

“We have some work to do when it comes to our children, especially this Black-on-Black crime,” Griggs told us. “Our goal is to work with at least 10 metropolitan counties.”

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He says he’s in the process of connecting with law enforcement agencies for crime prevention programs for preteens.

Tekisha Rhone, whose son was in and out of the juvenile court system before receiving mentorship under Griggs’ leadership, was thankful for his help.

“It was a very blessing for my son,” Rhone said. “My son seen a lot of stuff, and in that process Mr. Griggs helped him through that.”

Griggs has started a GoFundMe page to garner donations to prepare for an anticipated increase in crime as the summer approaches.

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