South Fulton mayoral candidates clash over restoring faith in police force

SOUTH FULTON, Ga. - The attorney for a former South Fulton police officer who says she was sexually harassed by colleagues is praising the city council’s decision to order an independent review of the police department. He also warned that the city must move quickly to restore public trust.

Vanasia Harris' EEOC complaint

The backstory:

Attorney Mitch Skandalakis represents former officer Vanasia Harris, who filed an EEOC complaint alleging she was harassed by higher-ranking officers and ignored when she reported it to her superiors, including Chief Keith Meadows. Harris says she was later fired.

"I just can't tell you how grossly unfair it is," Skandalakis said. "They need to get rid of him. They need to get rid of the command staff. They need to install new people that are going to fix this toxic culture."

After Harris’ complaint and other lawsuits, the city council placed Meadows on administrative leave in August and hired an outside firm to conduct the review.

South Fulton mayoral candidates respond

What they're saying:

Council member Carmalitha Gumbs, who is also running for mayor, said she supports the move. "I think it's time to make sure that we get the right leadership we need to restore trust back into our police department," she said.

Mayor Khalid Kamau initially threatened to veto the review, but reversed course after council members signaled they would override him. "So the city council, to their vast credit, is doing the right thing," Skandalakis said.

The attorney insists, however, that the city must act without delay. "The appropriate thing to do is to do this review very quickly. Fire this police chief. Fire these other individuals that engage in this harassment," he said. Skandalakis says the longer this drags on the longer Harris has to go without being able to clear her name. "She's a mother with a couple of kids. She is unemployable because of the posture of being terminated."

Gumbs said if elected mayor she would focus on "restoring trust, accountability and transparency and holding our officers and our leadership accountable."

Not all candidates agree on the review. Former mayor Bill Edwards called it a waste of money. "We had done that before and they make recommendations and nothing happened. We didn't take one recommendation from the person we hired before," Edwards said. He argued that the city should instead prioritize settling lawsuits quickly.

Another candidate, economist Joseph Adeyemi, said he would push for more accountability policies. "With me coming on board now, bringing integrity back, bringing accountability back, it's going to also reflect on all the departments, not just the police," he said.

What we don't know:

Kamau, who recently reversed his earlier decision not to run again, is also seeking reelection. He has not responded to questions about the department.