Christmas gifts to training center committee ran afoul of ethics rules, City says – SaportaReport

By John Ruch

Christmas gifts given to the public safety training center’s advisory committee by the Atlanta Police Foundation (APF) ran afoul of ethics rules, according to a City decision.

“Committee members should seek to avoid situations which may raise an appearance of impropriety or call into question the objectivity of the committee’s collective work on behalf of the City and its respective stakeholders,” wrote Ethics Officer Jabu M. Sengova in a March 1 letter about the gifts to the Community Stakeholder Advisory Committee (CSAC).

Sengova’s letter also confirmed that CSAC members must file financial disclosures with the City and declared APF among the “prohibited sources” of gifts or gratuities. She also called on the CSAC to receive ethics training at an upcoming meeting.

However, it is unclear when or if the CSAC will meet again. Its monthly meetings have been canceled without explanation since January. That’s when SaportaReport revealed multiple transparency issues with the body, including the Christmas gifts and the legality of an Atlanta Police Department official running the meetings. Other problems include an incorrect membership list that includes people apparently not formally appointed by the Atlanta City Council and the removal of a skeptical member followed by others agreeing to promote an APD “narrative” that some “Defend the Atlanta Forest” protesters are domestic terrorists.

Since then, Mayor Andre Dickens has established a new “task force” in his attempt to merge input on the controversial training center and the South River Forest green space concept. That group also has numerous unanswered questions about membership, authority and transparency.

In the gift-giving incident, the APF – the training center’s lead planner – sent official White House Christmas tree ornaments priced online at $24.95 to each member of the CSAC. The brass ornament has enamel decoration depicting the White House as…