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Fallen but Not Forgotten

The Atlanta Police Department remembers those who lost their lives in the line of duty.

The Atlanta Police Department lost three of its members last year and honored them Tuesday in a memorial service at Atlanta City Hall. The service was held in advance of next week's annual Police Memorial Week in Washington, D.C. where the names of those three officers, Gail D. Thomas, Richard Halford and Shawn Smiley, will be placed on the National Police Memorial Wall. Senior Officer Gail D. Thomas of Austell, 46, was struck by a vehicle while assisting another officer at a traffic accident on the Brookwood Interchange ramp in between Midtown and Buckhead. A sworn police officer for 15 years, she died at the scene. She is survived by her daughter, father, brothers and extended family. Officer Richard J. Halford of Lithia Springs, age 48…

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Interstate sign to honor APD Officer Thomas a possibility

Last year, Atlanta Police Senior Officer Gail Thomas was on duty and directing traffic on the Brookwood Interchange when she was killed by a drunk driver.

According to the Atlanta police, there is push from some local lawmakers to erect a sign honoring fallen Atlanta Police Senior Officer Gail Thomas at the interstate exchange where a drunk driver killed her in January 2012. In addition to honoring the very popular and well-loved veteran officer, a tribute marker on the Brookwood Interchange that takes motorists from I-75 south to I-85 north near Midtown, would also be useful to 9-1-1 dispatch services in the metro area. There is a similarly described interchange near Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport and sometimes police dispatchers face difficulties describing the appropriate area in need of service when taking emergency and non-emergency calls. Thomas was killed on Jan. 24…

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Drunk Driver Sentenced to 16 Years in APD Officer's Death

Stone Mountain woman pleads guilty to vehicular manslaughter in January 2012 accident that killed APD Senior Officer Gail Thomas of Austell.

Tears were flowing during an emotional day in Fulton County Superior Court on Friday as Stone Mountain’s Chasity Nicole Jones admitted she was driving under the influence of alcohol last January when she hit and killed Atlanta Police Senior Officer Gail Thomas of Austell. Because of such, Jones was sentenced to the maximum of 16 years in prison. Jones, 23, was crying at the beginning of the court proceedings when she entered a non-negotiated guilty plea to one count of vehicular manslaughter and one count of failure to obey the directions of an officer in the Jan. 24, 2012 crash on Interstate 75/85 southbound at the Brookwood Interchange.   And she was fighting through tears as she addressed the court prior to her sentencing, as well. “…

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Charles Schwable

3:52 am on Monday, January 14, 2013

I seriously doubts she'll even do half of that she is under jurisdiction of Dept. of Correction now, prisons are overcrowded and she might do a third and go to halfway house and do early release.   more ›

Update: Woman Pleads Guilty in DUI Crash that Killed Officer Thomas

Stone Mountain's Chasity Jones was indicted on thirteen counts, including DUI and homicide by vehicle in the first degree, in the January 2012 incident that claimed the life of Atlanta Police Senior Officer Gail Thomas of Austell.

Update: 1/11/13 @ 2 p.m.: Chasity Nicole Jones entered a guilty plea Friday in Fulton County Superior Court to one count of vehicular manslaughter and one count of failure to obey the directions of an officer in the January 2012 death of Atlanta Police Senior Officer Gail Thomas. A sobbing Jones apologized to the Thomas family, specifically the fallen officer's father and daughter, whom the 23-year-old Jones noted is the same age as she. Tears were streaming throughout the crowded courtroom, including down the cheeks of some of the many, many law enforcement personnel in attendance. Remarked Judge Craig Schwall, “It’s a paramount concern to society that our law enforcement officers be treated with the highest honor and dignity and respect …

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PatchCast: The Week in Review

The week's top headlines for January 30-February 3, 2012.

APS Redistricting: Demographers Address Inman Overcrowding. Southwest Parents To APS: Small Schools Over Closed Schools. APS Redistricting: Before New Schools, Take Stock Of Existing Facilities. Fallen APD Officers Buried In Mableton. DHS Footballers Sign Letters Of Intent. Four Seniors Celebrated At Pebblebrook's Official Signing Day. The Right To Vote On Brookhaven Cityhood Mulled By House Committee.

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