About Us

The Atlanta Citizen Review Board (ACRB) was established by City Ordinance in 2007. The purpose of the legislation is to ensure that city departments directly responsible for public safety, particularly the Police Department and the Department of Corrections have the proper support of the government and its various agencies. It is designed to provide citizen oversight of misconduct accusations against sworn members of the police and corrections departments in the City of Atlanta. It provides a credible, independent forum where complaints and accusations can be assessed. It is also designed to help prevent future incidents of police or corrections misconduct and abuses of civil rights and to reduce the amount of money needed to satisfy judgments and settlements based on upon allegations of police or corrections misconduct. The ACRB promotes public confidence in law enforcement and lessens the possibility that future incidents of urban unrest will occur.

The ACRB is comprised of eleven members, selected from various constituencies throughout the City. The selection process is designed to reflect the diversity and interests of a broad spectrum of the community.
The appointments are assigned as follows:

Appointed by the Mayor: Sharese Shields

Appointed by the City Council: Roderick Edmond

Appointed by the President of the Council with previous experience
as a law enforcement professional: J.L. Booker

Appointed by Neighborhood Planning Unit Group A-F: Joy Morrissey

Appointed by Neighborhood Planning Unit Group G-L: (Vacant)

Appointed by Neighborhood Planning Unit M-R: John Michael

Appointed by Neighborhood Planning Unit S-Z: Maceo Williams 

Appointed by Gate City Bar Association: Charis Johnson

Appointed by the Atlanta Bar Association: Seth Kirschenbaum

Appointed by the League of Women Voters: Alan H. Morris

Appointed by the Atlanta Business League: Owen Montague

The Board meets at 6:30 p.m. on the second Thursday of each month in Committee Room 2 at City Hall. The Executive Director is located in Suite 9100, Tower Building of City Hall. The Board accepts complaints, investigates the complaints, and is authorized to conduct hearings to resolve complaints and make recommendations to the Chief of Police and Corrections, the Mayor and City Council.

The ACRB may investigate complaints that fall into the following categories:

• abusive language;
• false arrest;
• false imprisonment;
• harassment;
• use of excessive force;
• serious bodily injury; or
• death that is alleged to be the result of the actions of a sworn employee of the Atlanta Police Department or the Atlanta Department of Corrections.