Settlement Ends Contested Atlanta Airport Police Program

Comedians Eric André and Clayton English reached a $30,000 settlement over a lawsuit that challenged a Clayton County police initiative at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. The settlement, authorized by the county Board of Commissioners on August 4, split the payment equally between the two performers and required the police unit to wear body-worn cameras and receive training on constitutional limits for airport encounters. The county has permanently shut down the program and says it will not be revived.

The Independent

Police records cited in the suit show 402 jet-bridge stops between August 30, 2020 and April 30, 2021, with race documented in 378 instances. Of those stops, 211 travelers (56 %) were Black and 258 (68 %) were people of color. The operation, intended to combat drug trafficking, resulted in only three drug seizures: about 10 g of an unspecified substance from one passenger, 26 g of “suspected THC gummies” from another, and six prescription pills without a prescription from a third. Only the first and third individuals were charged. The stops also produced over $1 million in cash and money orders seized from 25 passengers; eight of those passengers challenged the confiscations, leading Clayton County police to settle each case and return most of the funds.

The Independent

In a press release, André called the settlement “a major victory” and emphasized that the county’s confirmation of the program’s end and new safeguards were essential. English said the experience was “wrong” and that he was unwilling to let it happen to others. A county spokesperson did not respond to requests for comment on the settlement agreement.

The Independent

• “It’s a major victory that Clayton County has confirmed that it has ended this program and is now taking steps to prevent this type of abuse from happening in the future,” — Comedians Eric André

The Independent

• “What happened to me was wrong, and I wasn’t willing to let it happen to other people,” — Clayton English

The Independent