4 Georgia troopers fired after using pursuit crashes to seek payouts

4 Georgia troopers fired for suing drivers after pursuits

The Georgia Department of Public Safety (GDPS) has fired four state troopers following an investigation into personal injury claims made after police pursuits.

ATLANTA - The Georgia Department of Public Safety (GDPS) has fired four state troopers following an investigation into personal injury claims made after police pursuits.

What we know:

The department started looking into the troopers' claims in January 2026. 

Investigators found that the group shared many crash and incident reports with a lawyer. 

That lawyer then tried to get money for the crashes by filing claims against the insurance of the drivers who ran from the officers. 

The department determined this violated ethical standards, leading to all four troopers being fired.

Officials said the troopers would initiate pursuits then perform PIT maneuvers leading to a crash. Afterward, they would take the drivers they were chasing to civil court. 

What they're saying:

"The actions of these few individuals do not reflect the core values of professionalism and trust that define our agency," the department said in a statement. Officials noted that the Georgia Department of Public Safety holds its officers to a high standard and takes misconduct seriously by investigating all claims according to the law.

Atlanta trial attorney Tom Church called the alleged actions shocking. 

"They're able to kind of engineer their own lawsuits. Right? By engaging in these chases, making the decisions are making, and then turning around and feeding that information to lawyers to go out and sue," Church said.

"You have an officer who's deciding, making a series of decisions to engage in a pursuit to conduct a pit maneuver. Right. And then they're turning around, and they're gaining. They're trying to get money out of the decisions they made, which were supposed to be decisions made for the public interest when it comes to law enforcement, right? And the safety of the community, not their own enrichment," he added. 

Church says if the troopers' scheme went unchecked – it would mean they would have an incentive to chase more.

"We want officers to try to resolve, de-escalate, you know, catch the bad guy," Church said. "But then we want them to do it in the safest way possible."

What we don't know:

While the department confirmed the firings, officials have not yet identified the four troopers involved. 

It is also unclear if the attorney involved will face any legal action or if the insurance companies paid out any of the claims before the investigation began.

It remains unclear how many drivers the unidentified troopers targeted. The department did not say what part of the state the fired agents were working in.