SOUTH FULTON, Ga. — South Fulton City Council members made a bold move to keep their community safe.
They changed the hiring policy for police which now excludes any officer who was fired from another agency for using excessive force.
Channel 2′s Tyisha Fernandes spoke to council member Hellen Z. Willis, who took on this effort.
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This all came about when police officers in Tennessee beat Tyre Nichols to death and those officers had sketchy pasts when it comes to using excessive force.
It made Councilwoman Willis in South Fulton say she doesn’t want those types of officers in this city.
“You know, the minority is making it bad for the majority of police officers,” Willis said.
She believes a majority of police officers get into law enforcement to serve and protect.
But when she found out five former Memphis police officers had questionable pasts with using excessive force before they beat Tyre Nichols to death, she had to do something to keep those types of officers off the South Fulton police force.
“Some mistakes, you know, are not good to come back from when it comes to establishing trust or building relationships with police and the residents in the community,” Willis said.
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Willis showed Fernandes a document that says the current hiring policy is limited.
The policy said officers who have been fired from other agencies for using excessive force can be hired as long as three years have gone by.
So she brought a resolution to the council to change that hiring policy.
It was passed unanimously.
“I know that recruiting is tough and this is going to dilute the pool a little bit, but it will pay off in the long run,” Willis said.
Vince Champion, the president of the International Brotherhood of Police, thinks this is a good idea - although it is going to exclude some new recruits South Fulton needs.
“I think they kinda limit themselves as to what they consider the line that they’re going to draw, that they’re not going to take a chance any longer and that does help the community feel a little safer and feel that this city is at least trying to look at their interest,” Champion said.
Some officers have already slipped through the cracks and those officers will be grandfathered in since this new policy is only for new hires.
South Fulton Police Chief Keith Meadows said he has zero tolerance when it comes to using excessive force.
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