Sen. Tim Scott: Justice must be served in Ahmaud Arbery death
South Carolina Senator Tim Scott reacts to the Ahmaud Arbery shooting on ‘The Daily Briefing.’
Don't like it, don't want it, don't need it.
That could be the fate for the police department at the center of the Ahmaud Arbery murder case, criticized for looking the other way after the unarmed black Georgia jogger was allegedly gunned down by a white father and son with ties to local authorities.
Peach state lawmakers will decide next month on a measure that would allow Georgia voters to get rid of the police department that not only bungled the Arbery case but has a history of tampering with crime scenes and retaliation against whistleblowers.
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Senate Bill 504 calls for a November ballot referendum that would allow voters to decide whether county leaders should disband the Glynn County Police department and merge resources with the county sheriff's office.
The bill, introduced by Republican Sen. Bill Ligon earlier this year, was in direct response to controversy surrounding the Glynn County PD before Arbery's February 23 shooting.
Specifically, Ligon, who has spent a decade in the state legislature and will not be seeking re-election, told WJCL-TV that he introduced his bill after a grand jury presentment on a sex scandal with drug informants and allegations of witness tampering. The case centered around Glynn County police department's notorious narcotics unit and led to several indictments against officers in March, including police Chief John Powell for a violation of oath of office and witness tampering.
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The original bill, introduced in January, would have affected county police departments across Georgia and its legality was challenged.
Senate Bill 504 now narrows its scope and focuses only on the Glynn County PD.
A vote on the measure was initially scheduled for earlier this year but pushed back after the legislature was released early due to coronavirus concerns.
The new vote is set for June.
One person not on board is Glynn County Commission Chair Mike Brown, who is challenging the legality of the bill.
"We cannot allow willy-nilly efforts, if you will, to attack the local governance," he said.
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Brown argues that what happens to the Glynn County PD should be decided by elected officials like himself - something that's raising eyebrows, especially in the wake of Arbery's death.
The Glynn County Commission has defended the police department's handling of Arbery's shooting, blaming the decision not to arrest Gregory McMichael, 64, and his son Travis McMichael, 34, on district attorneys from Brunswick and Waycross, Jackie Johnson and George Barnhill.
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