Watchdog rates Atlanta police complaints following beating of Tyre Nichols

ATLANTA - An Atlanta watchdog group said police officers in this city cross the line on occasion during encounters with citizens. But one member of the group told FOX 5 he had never seen anything in Atlanta like what happened in the released bodycam footage of Memphis police officers brutally beating Tyre Nichols.

Lee Reid, who has worked with the Atlanta Citizens Review Board (ACRB) for a decade, said he has reviewed more cellphone and bodycam images than anyone else, except for the investigators at the department's internal affairs office.

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"We are in good shape," Reid said in an interview, "but there are outliers."

He recalled an incident in 2021. An officer who was also a supervisor was seen on video kicking a female who was handcuffed and already on the ground.

Police said the young woman spat at the officer.

Even so, higher officials said the actions of Marc Theodule crossed the line. He was terminated.

Reid said when he reviews elements, he tries to capture not just a physical episode, but what happens before and after it. By policy, the Atlanta Police Department must cooperate with an investigation taken up by an independent body, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.

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FOX 5 Atlanta reporter Morse Diggs asked Reid to access the fatal beating of Tyre Nichols seen around the world. If that extreme incident was a ‘10’, what would he rate the worst thing he has seen over his ten years of examining encounters in Atlanta?

Reid answered a '5'.

Still, he urged citizens to file complaint for any extreme incident they may have experienced because he said he is sure there are serious infractions out there that have never made it to his desk.

ACRB can be reached at 404-865-8622. There is no fee, and you do not need a lawyer to make a complaint.