SOUTH FULTON, Ga. — A former City of South Fulton police officer who resigned amid an internal affairs investigation is out of jail after investigators arrested and charged her with multiple felonies last month.
Channel 2′s Michael Seiden spoke with an off-duty officer who said he was just as stunned to learn about the charges that could potentially land the former officer in prison.
She’s accused of abusing her badge to protect her boyfriend.
Investigators say Aliyah Jackson, 27, who joined the city’s police force in 2019, was booked into jail last month on felony charges after police said she tried to interfere with a major police operation targeting metro Atlanta’s most notorious drug dealers and gang members.
Among the suspects was Jackson’s boyfriend, Kenneth Copeland, a convicted felon and documented gang member who served time in federal prison in 2018.
It’s unclear how long the two have been in a relationship, but police arrested Copeland on Oct. 27 after they say he was caught driving his girlfriend’s car with a loaded gun inside.
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Following his arrest, police say Jackson tried to delete her boyfriend’s Instagram page containing photos of gang activity.
She’s also accused of trying to disable his phone which police were storing in evidence.
On Wednesday night, Seiden stopped by the East Point apartment complex where Jackson resides, hoping to get her side of the story, but she didn’t answer his call.
“It is an embarrassment to us all. Certainly, it’s an embarrassment to the community,” said Dr. Cedric Alexander, former Dekalb County Public Safety Commissioner.
Alexander now serves as a national expert on law enforcement in America. He said despite the criminal allegations: “This incident should not cast any disfavor over 1000s of other officers right there in your community in metro Atlanta, who are doing an outstanding job and understanding the importance of maintaining the distance between themselves and those that are involved in criminal activity.”
City of South Fulton Police Chief Keith Meadows is addressing the allegations against his former officer. He sent Seiden a statement, saying:
“City of South Fulton police have been working with the Atlanta Police Department and other members of the Multi-Agency Crack Enforcement (MACE) task force on an operation targeting drug dealers and gang members in the metro Atlanta area.
“On Oct. 27, Atlanta police arrested a subject of that investigation, Kenneth Copeland, following a traffic stop during which a gun was found inside the car driven by Copeland. Copeland has been charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
“Also charged in the case is South Fulton police officer Aliyah Jackson, Copeland’s girlfriend. Copeland was driving Jackson’s car at the time of his arrest, despite having his license suspended earlier. Jackson, who was charged with tampering with evidence and violation of the oath of office for concealing information about Copeland, was placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation. She later resigned. She was arrested Oct. 29.
“We hold our officers strictly accountable for upholding the laws of our city as well as their oaths of office. Our actions in this case send a clear message that anything less will not be tolerated.”
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