We are calling on Georgia lawmakers to strengthen public-records laws governing police departments, sheriff’s offices, and other law-enforcement agencies.

Under current Georgia law, Internal Affairs investigative records involving complaints against public employees generally become available after an investigation is completed. However, the public can still encounter delays, heavy redactions, incomplete disclosures, and barriers that make it difficult to understand what actually happened inside an investigation.

That needs to change.

When law-enforcement agencies investigate allegations involving their own officers, the public should have meaningful access to the results.

We are asking Georgia lawmakers to require that completed Internal Affairs investigations be released to the public in full, including:

The name and agency of the officer involved
The complaint or allegation made against the officer
The investigative findings
Whether each allegation was sustained, not sustained, unfounded, or exonerated
Statements and evidence relied upon in reaching the decision
Supervisory findings and recommendations
Any disciplinary action taken
Any policy violations identified
Any referrals to Georgia POST or another investigative agency
Any corrective action, retraining, suspension, termination, or other consequence
Police departments should not be permitted to use broad or discretionary redactions to conceal officer conduct, investigative findings, disciplinary decisions, or evidence showing how a complaint was handled.

Redactions should be limited only to information that the law specifically requires to remain confidential, such as information identifying minors, certain victims, confidential informants, protected medical information, or information that would create a legitimate and documented safety risk.

Why This Matters

Internal Affairs investigations are conducted by government agencies using public employees, public authority, and taxpayer resources.

The public should not have to simply trust a department’s statement that it investigated itself and found no wrongdoing.

Transparency allows citizens, journalists, attorneys, researchers, lawmakers, and oversight organizations to determine whether misconduct is isolated or whether a department has developed a pattern of:

Excessive force
Unlawful searches or entries
False arrests
Failure to investigate
Improper classification of emergency calls
Report falsification
Body-camera violations
Retaliation
Abuse of authority
Repeated complaints involving the same officers
Failure by supervisors to discipline misconduct
Without complete records, the public cannot determine whether Internal Affairs systems are truly holding officers accountable.

We Are Asking Georgia Lawmakers to Change the Law

We ask the Georgia General Assembly to amend Georgia’s Open Records laws so that:

Completed Internal Affairs investigative files are automatically classified as public records.
Agencies must release completed investigations within a clearly defined period after the investigation closes.
Officer names, allegations, findings, disciplinary recommendations, disciplinary actions, and investigative conclusions may not be redacted simply to protect the agency or employee from embarrassment, criticism, or public scrutiny.
Every redaction must identify the exact Georgia statute authorizing that redaction.
Agencies must provide a public written explanation whenever an Internal Affairs complaint is sustained, rejected, closed, or determined to be unfounded.
Records involving repeated complaints against the same officer should remain publicly accessible so patterns of misconduct can be identified.
Departments should maintain a searchable public database showing Internal Affairs complaints, findings, disciplinary actions, use-of-force findings, and referrals to Georgia POST.
Agencies that improperly withhold or excessively redact Internal Affairs records should face meaningful penalties and enforcement.
Public Trust Requires Public Accountability

Law-enforcement officers hold extraordinary authority.

They may detain citizens, enter property under certain circumstances, use force, make arrests, write official reports, and provide testimony that can affect a person’s freedom.

With that level of authority must come a higher level of transparency.

Police accountability should not happen entirely behind closed doors.

An Internal Affairs investigation should not become a secret simply because the government investigated itself.

The public deserves to know what happened, what evidence was reviewed, what the department concluded, and whether anyone was held accountable.

We urge Georgia lawmakers to create a stronger transparency law requiring meaningful public access to completed Internal Affairs investigations.

If the public pays for the investigation, the public deserves to see the results.

Sign this petition if you believe transparency, accountability, and public trust should apply to every law-enforcement agency in Georgia.