Correction note: an earlier version of this story incorrectly referred to Spencer Johnson (who was also erroneously referred to by the name “James Spencer”) as a firefighter with the Harlem Fire Department, whereas in fact Johnson is with the Augusta Fire Department. Both errors have been corrected.
The Harlem Police Department proved a salient topic, Monday evening during Harlem’s March city council meeting.
In the public comment portion of the meeting, resident Harlem resident Lauren McCord spoke before the council to address what she alleges is the police department’s lack of transparency.
McCord told council members that she has spent the past several months submitting open records requests to the Harlem Police, to no avail. The police department told her that there were no responsive records for what she sought, according to McCord.
She also says that after conveying her concerns on social media, asking members of the public if they had similar difficulty acquiring records, a representative from the Harlem Police contacted her via social media to let her know the records are available, later sending her some 16 pages of documents pertaining to her request.
“The department suddenly produced at least seven different reports tied to five different instances, proving that they did have relevant records all along,” McCord said to the council members. “That alone should concern everyone here, when a public agency fails to comply with… transparency law, it’s a red flag.”
McCord’s interest in the city’s police records is not impersonal curiosity, she notes. Her searches pertain to the Jan. 16 incident in which a three-year-old child, McCord’s nephew, suffered a gunshot wound to the shoulder. The child’s father, Augusta firefighter Spencer Johnson, was arrested for cruelty to children.
McCord told TAP after the meeting that her initial requests were for domestic violence records. She has since submitted two more open records requests, seeking information about how Harlem Police obtain assistance for investigations from external agencies, and statistical data on how often the department investigates independently versus how frequently they seek outside assistance.
“Because in this specific case, they did not go outside of their department,” McCord said. “They investigated it themselves.”
Georgia law requires public records be processed within three business days of receiving a request, but McCord says that deadline has passed for the latter two records requests.
“That’s just not frustrating, but it’s illegal. This department does not get to pick and choose when it complies with state law. Public record access is not optional,” said McCord to the council. “I’ll continue to hold this department accountable, not just for how they act today, but for how they failed to act when it mattered most. Let me be very clear. I will not stop asking questions. I will not stop them any answers, and I will not stop pursuing the truth because my nephew deserves nothing less. This matter is not going away, neither am I.”
Mayor Roxanne Whitaker told administrative staff to forward McCord’s grievance to the Harlem police chief and the city attorney for “answers on this.” Councilman Danny Bellavance further assured McCord that the city to inquire further into the matter.
The following item on the council’s agenda, in an ironic turn, was to recognize two Harlem P.D. officers — Officers James Chrisman and Michael Transhue — for aiding a local during an emergency.
Mayor Whitaker read aloud a letter from a local citizen recounting how the two officers responded 10 to 15 minutes before a Gold Cross ambulance to assist him after his wife fell in their living due to health issues. Chrisman and Transhue performed preliminary checks and gathered information to expedite their transfer to the hospital after the ambulance arrived.
The letter also lauded the officers’ treatment of the man’s 25-year-old son, who is autistic and nonverbal.
“They knew the signs, understood how to interact and treated him with compassion, rather than differently. My family cannot thank our community enough,” the letter read. “Our law enforcement personnel and our first responders are incredible, and I want to make sure we are already all recognized how lucky we are to have such dedicated civil servants working.”
Skyler Andrews is a reporter covering business for The Augusta Press. Reach him at skyler@theaugustapress.com.
