Former Emory Police Department (EPD) officer Keith Kirkland was charged with impersonating an officer on Sept. 11, about one year after EPD fired him for insubordination.
After Kirkland was fired, he filed a lawsuit in May against Emory University and EPD Police Chief Rus Drew for racial discrimination.
On Aug. 27, Kirkland, 32, knocked on the door of a home in Lawrenceville, Ga., where told the resident of the home that he was a police officer and asked for the resident’s driver’s license, according to the resident’s account. Kirkland was carrying a gun when he approached the home and displayed a badge.
Suspicious of Kirkland’s demeanor, the resident called the police, who questioned Kirkland.
Kirkland said that although he was previously employed by the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office, he now works for the State of Georgia and not for a law enforcement agency, according to the police report. Kirkland said he identified himself to the resident as a peace officer.
The responding officers could not confirm if Kirkland was an employee, so they released him at the scene. About two weeks later, he was charged with impersonating an officer.
Kirkland has not been booked into Gwinnett County Jail as of Tuesday night, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
When Kirkland was fired from EPD in October 2017, he told CBS46 that his dismissal was racially motivated and filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). Kirkland later filed a lawsuit against Drew and the University in May.
Drew declined the Wheel’s request for comment on his charges, directing the inquiry to Associate Director of Media Relations Megan McRainey, who declined to comment.
