The latest contempt of cop arrest story that is sweeping the nation not only proves that some officers are power-drunk assholes – as if that needed to be affirmed – it highlights the ineptness and ineffectiveness of internal affairs investigations.
The cop in question is Atlanta Police Officer Brandy Dolson, who has had 18 complaints filed against him since 2001 with only three of them sustained. Another three are still pending, according to the [__Atlanta Journal Constitution.__](http://photographyisnotacrime.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/woman-61-arrested-for-309285.html?cxtype=rss_news_128746)
One of those pending complaints stems from an incident where he arrested a 61-year-old woman last March for asking “why” after he ordered her to move from the sidewalk she was standing on with three other women.
They were discussing funeral plans for a deceased friend when Dolson told them to “move it.”
Minnie Carey ended up spending nine hours in jail for having the audacity to question Dolson’s orders.
Her charge: disorderly conduct, aka contempt of cop.
Adding insult to injury, her case got prolonged by the ineptness of the court system.
> *Carey, a diabetic, had gone without food until she got home hours later. She said the handcuffs caused her hands to swell.*
> *Carey had three court dates – the first time her case was not heard because there was no prosecutor and the second and third times it was not heard because Dolson was not in court.*
> *The disorderly conduct charge was dismissed at the third court hearing, she said.*
Although the Atlanta Citizen Review Board determined that Dolson violated departmental policies, the department’s internal affairs division has yet to make a determination.
How typical.
But perhaps fate is finally catching up to Dolson. A departmental spokesman told the Journal-Constitution that he is “suspended without pay for an unrelated incident.”
**UPDATE:** Carey ended up receiving a [__$20,000 settlement__](http://www.ajc.com/news/news/local/atlanta-expected-to-pay-20000-to-woman-arrested-fo/nQgxy/) in June 2010.
And Dolson ended up leaving leaving the Atlanta Police Department in [__June 2011__](http://www.indeed.com/r/Brandy-Dolson/acda971f72991ab7), according to his resume he posted online.
He then went to work for Paragon Systems in Atlanta where he said he was “assigned as a supervisor over two federal facilities,” which included the “supervising over 55 security officers assigned to both the IRS and Immigration buildings.”
At one point in his career with the Atlanta Police Department, he was featured on the show Cops, which you can see him arresting people for crack cocaine.
It appeared he did enjoy his job, but unfortunately, he allowed the power to go to his head.
Of course, he was playing it up for the television cameras.
When the cameras were off, he racked up 18 internal affairs complaints against him in less than ten years, with only three sustained.
