Georgia lawmakers are seeking to change state law to say that officers don’t have to arrest people who refuse to sign traffic tickets after a church deacon died in August after initially refusing to sign a citation and struggling with an Atlanta police officer.
The state House voted 156-10 on Wednesday to pass House Bill 1054, which removes the requirement for a driver to sign a citation, allowing an officer to instead write that someone refused to sign and then give the driver the ticket. The measure moves to the Senate for more debate.
State Rep. Yasmin Neal, the Jonesboro Democrat who sponsored the bill, said removing the requirement to sign would reduce a source of conflict that leads to risks for officers and drivers. Officers could still choose to arrest traffic offenders, but they would not be required to do so.
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