SHIELDS OF SHAME | JEFFERSON POLICE DEPARTMENT
Arrested Over Police Database Misuse. Then Fired After Reporting Another Alleged Violation.
The Reginald Lee New case raises questions about who gets investigated, who gets protected, and what happens when a veteran sergeant challenges his own department.
A 23-year career takes a sharp turn
Reginald Lee New joined the Jefferson Police Department in August 2001. By February 2025, the veteran sergeant faced a GBI arrest for allegedly disclosing restricted Georgia Crime Information Center information to an unauthorized recipient. The department itself requested the investigation.
Subsequent reporting identified the recipient as City Manager Priscilla Murphy. New described showing information relating to a vehicle license plate. His explanation did not, by itself, make the disclosure authorized.
A second database controversy
Atlanta News First reported in May 2026 that New returned to the police force after his criminal case and later raised concerns that a newly hired officer had accessed GCIC without required training or authorization. New alleged the system was used in connection with at least 57 traffic stops, 16 citations and three arrests. These are New’s reported allegations, not independent findings of criminal conduct.
He said he warned supervisors repeatedly. Eventually, he emailed city leadership about the matter. According to Atlanta News First, he was terminated just two hours and twenty minutes later.
New alleged retaliation. City officials instead cited insubordination, conduct unbecoming and an unauthorized internal affairs investigation. The timing is striking, but timing alone does not prove retaliation.
Read the Atlanta News First investigation →
What his official POST record shows
A Georgia POST profile dated March 31, 2025 lists New as a Jefferson police sergeant, with a POST investigation opened February 20, 2025. His basic law enforcement, RADAR and LIDAR certifications were marked Suspended (POST Sanction), although the employment field still showed him as actively employed. That historical snapshot does not establish his present status or whether he performed sworn duties while suspended.
View Official Georgia POST Training Record ↗
A department already under scrutiny
The Jefferson Police Department was facing other controversies. Reporting described concerns over staffing and morale, a dispute involving Police Chief Steve Bannister’s intervention during a traffic stop, and separate criminal allegations against former Sergeant Jose Marrero. Those separate matters do not establish wrongdoing by New or prove his retaliation claim, but they provide context for the department’s leadership challenges.
Related Jefferson Police reporting →
The question that remains
New’s own conduct warranted scrutiny. So did his later allegations. The real accountability test is whether the city applied its database access rules consistently, investigated credible concerns regardless of the messenger, and explained its decisions with evidence.
Related coverage
Classic City News: New’s pretrial diversion
Shields of Shame: Original coverage
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Editorial note: Allegations are not findings of guilt. The POST profile is a March 2025 snapshot. Criminal and employment outcomes should be assessed using the latest verified records.