Atlanta pays $20,000 to critic forced to post pro-cop message to Facebook

Atlanta police Lt. Jeffrey Cantin told Baton Bob, a street performer, that he wouldn't be released on Bond unless he posted complementary remarks about the Atlanta police department to his Facebook page.

The Lieutenant compelled Bob to hand over his password to the officer who'd arrested him, which he used to log into the performer's account in order to post a message about how "gracious" the police had been to Bob.

That incident triggered a six-month investigation into Jamerson's arrest. In December 2013, Cantin received a five-day suspension for "violating responsibilities of a supervisor" and accepted responsibility for his actions. Davis, who was slapped with a one-day suspension, resigned from APD later that month. A prosecutor dropped Jamerson's charges in December 2014.

The city's legal department, having reviewed the case, has now determined that a $20,000 settlement would "be in the best interest of the city" rather than fighting the claims in court. Depending on today's committee meeting, Council could take a full vote on the settlement this upcoming Monday.

Baton Bob to receive $20,000 settlement for 2013 arrest in Midtown [Max Blau/Creative Loafing]

(via Slashdot)

(Image: Baton Bob, Kchase02, CC-BY)