Citizen Report No. 1727989466 - 1624816666

Lakea Gaither

Atlanta Police Department

226 Peachtree Street SW

Atlanta, Georgia 30303

(404) 614-6544

https://www.atlanta…

Date of Offense

Date Not Provided

Offense(s)

Misconduct

Conduct Unbecoming

Supporting Document(s)

Deep Concern Regarding the Hiring of Lakea Gaither

Statement

Detective Lakea Gaither, a former gang investigator with the Atlanta Police Department, played a controversial role in the YSL RICO case. She was called to testify about her experience with gang activity in Atlanta, but her testimony and professional conduct came under heavy scrutiny.

Several ethical concerns arose during her involvement in the case. Notably, Gaither testified that she avoided responding to 911 calls and instead preferred patrolling high-crime areas, hoping to make arrests. This admission suggested a questionable attitude toward law enforcement priorities, where she prioritized potential gang-related arrests over direct emergency response, a responsibility fundamental to her role.

Additionally, defense attorneys raised concerns about her lack of thorough investigative processes, implying that she may have exhibited biases or failed to follow best practices. This has led to accusations of unethical behavior, contributing to the overall complexity and contentiousness of the YSL trial.

The US Citizen Reporters are a group of public and private defense advocates that scour the internet for documented incidents of police misconduct that have eluded accountability.

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Georgia Open Records Act

O.C.G.A. §50-18-70 et seq.

The Georgia Open Records Act is a series of laws guaranteeing the public access to public records of government bodies. Public records are those documents generated by individuals or groups in public office in the course of public service. Government agencies that are included in the act are:

Every state department, agency, board, bureau, commission and authority.
Every county, municipal corporation, school district, or other political subdivision of the state.
Every department, agency, board, bureau, commission, authority, or similar body of each such county, municipal corporation, or other political subdivision of the state.
Every city, county, regional or other authority established pursuant to law.
With some exceptions, "any nonprofit organization that receives more than one third of its funds in the form of a direct allocation of tax funds from the governing authority of an agency."

Records in the Georgia Open Records Act that are exempt are records related to the provision of staff services to individual members of the General Assembly by the Legislative and Congressional Reapportionment Office, the Senate Research Office, or the House Research Office, or GIS Data.

Any citizen of the state can request public records and requesters do not have to state a purpose. Once they have been obtained, there is no restriction on how records can be used, and agencies have three days to supply a response.