Two Georgia police officers have opted to quit instead of being fired after their arrests for allegedly selling incident reports to unnamed third parties for profit.
DeKalb County Police Department representative Michaela Vincent revealed that Ronald Anderson and Nikko McClinton were arrested on January 30 after officials were told they were peddling crash reports for profits.
The men, who were both with the department for nine years, were placed on administrative leave with pay.
The department announced their resignations on Twitter late Friday.
McClinton and Anderson face charges of computer theft and violating their oath of office. According to DeKalb County jail records, McClinton also faces an additional charge of bribery.
Authorities said the criminal investigation began after another DeKalb police officer gained knowledge of the purported scheme and informed investigators.
The department said the McClinton and Anderson accessed and sold thousands of reports to “illegal runners” who would go after accident victims and profit off their wrecks. The department didn’t say whether the reports were sold to personal injury lawyers or healthcare providers.
DeKalb County Police Chief Mirtha Ramos said the department would not tolerate misconduct and it would take the necessary actions to enforce the law and safeguard citizens’ privacy.
In 2014, Georgia’s lawmakers passed a bill making the solicitation or sale of vehicle accident information unlawful.
If you get involved in a car accident in Georgia, you need to get a copy of the accident report. The police officers who respond to a crash are required to file this document. It includes all the things they observed at the accident scene.
You can pick up your copy from the law enforcement agency that responded to your crash, order it online or ask your Georgia car accident lawyer to get it for you.
Source: https://newschannel9.com/news/local/georgia-officers-accused-of-selling-accident-reports-resign
