ATLANTA: Citizen Review Board Rules Cops Falsely Imprisoned Eagle Bar Patrons

Atlanta's Citizen Review Board has ruled that 24 city cops falsely imprisoned patrons of the Atlanta Eagle during a raid that occurred one year ago today. The board is delaying deciding on a punishment for the officers pending a review of what role their supervisors had in the raid.

The CRB, a citizens oversight board created by the Atlanta City Council, is limited in the kinds of complaints it can investigate, and the actions of police supervisors is among them. But the board has a great deal of latitude in conducting studies, according to the city ordinance. Some patrons said they were not allowed to move for more than an hour while officers confiscated their driver's licenses and checked for criminal records. Customers also said they had to endure anti-gay slurs from some of the officers. The CRB staff said Thursday it could not identify the officers who allegedly made those comments because the patrons were face-down on the floor and could not see who was speaking. The officers involved in the raid denied making or hearing slurs.

All charges against the patrons and employees were eventually dismissed.