Atlanta’s Civil Service Board announced on Wednesday that they granted the appeal of fired police officer Garrett Rolfe, revoking his termination over the death of Rayshard Brooks, 27. The Board said the city broke its own rules by rushing through the dismissal process and not giving Rolfe enough time to formally respond to the move.
From the newly released documents [emphasis ours]:
As previously stated, the Panel’s sole mission is to determine if the City’s imposition of an adverse employment action complied with the Code. Section 114-530 (a) of the Code clearly outlines procedures and protocols for administering adverse employment actions: “An employee against whom an adverse action is to be taken shall be given a written notice of proposed adverse action, signed by the appointing authority or designee, at least ten working days prior to the effective date of the proposed adverse action.” In this case, the effective date of the discipline was June 14, 2020, and the NPAA and the NFAA were issued to the Appellant’s Union Representative at virtually the same time on June 13, 2020. As such, the City’s actions were not compliant with the ten days prior notice period as required by the Code.
As seen on body cam, bystander, and surveillance footage, Rolfe and fellow officer Devin Brosnan responded to a call about a man (Brooks) sleeping in a car in a Wendy’s drive-thru on June 12, 2020. They questioned Brooks, and tried to arrest him after he blew a .108 on a breathalyzer. Brooks resisted. A struggle ensued. Brosnan pulled out his Taser, but Brooks grabbed it and allegedly fired it. Rolfe fired his own Taser at the man.
Brooks ran as Rolfe gave chase. He pointed the Taser back at the officer and fired it. Rolfe opened fire with a handgun three times, striking Brooks twice in the back.
Rolfe faces charges including felony murder. He asserted the Fifth Amendment during a hearing last month to appeal his firing.
[Screengrab via Atlanta Police Department]