SHIELDS OF SHAME | GEORGIA LAW ENFORCEMENT DATABASE ACCOUNTABILITY | CASE 025
Jakori Mykel Edwards: Dunwoody’s Officer of the Year, a GCIC/NCIC Investigation and a Resignation in Lieu of Termination
In March 2025, Dunwoody celebrated Officer Jakori Mykel Edwards. Eight months later, investigators had substantiated allegations involving a restricted law-enforcement database and his truthfulness during an internal investigation. His separation record was later changed from termination to resignation in lieu of termination. The distinction is documented and matters.
Critical distinction: this is not a proven Edwards Flock misuse case
The documented allegations against Edwards concern GCIC/NCIC database access. A related Dunwoody investigation involving former Officer Jessica Preston also addressed Flock license plate reader activity, but that does not establish that Edwards personally performed an improper Flock search. We are including this case in the broader restricted-database accountability project while seeking individual Flock audit records.
Case at a glance
Officer: Jakori Mykel Edwards
Agency: Dunwoody Police Department, DeKalb County, Georgia
Earlier agency: Sylvester Police Department
Dunwoody employment: October 19, 2023–November 21, 2025
Awards: 2024 Officer of the Year, Rising Star of the Year and Officer of the Second Quarter
Internal findings reported: GCIC/NCIC policy violations and untruthfulness
Departure: November 21, 2025; subsequently reclassified as Resigned in Lieu of Termination
POST investigation: Opened November 26, 2025; historical report marked File Review Required
Historical certifications: Basic Law Enforcement and Radar/LIDAR active, no final sanction shown in September 11, 2026 snapshot
Subsequent employment: Sylvester Police Department January 21–May 13, 2026; voluntary resignation reported
Criminal charge or conviction: Not independently established from reviewed reporting
From public praise to a disputed departure
Dunwoody’s official 2024 achievement awards described Edwards as an officer who volunteered for patrol coverage, supported other shifts and helped community outreach. The city also honored him as Rising Star of the Year, citing his DUI enforcement and traffic crash investigation training. These are documented agency accolades, not retrospective assessments.
In November 2025, an internal investigation concerning a personal matter involving Officer Ramatu Kamara and Virginia resident Yazid Ajape brought Edwards under scrutiny. Ajape reportedly contacted Dunwoody Police on November 12, saying Kamara had asked Edwards to check information about an outstanding warrant and protective order.
The photograph of a police laptop
According to the internal-affairs report and subsequent independent review, investigators obtained an image showing GCIC/NCIC warrant information on Edwards’s assigned department laptop. Reporting described an October 4, 2025 warrant hit and evidence supplied by Ajape. When interviewed, Edwards denied conducting the query, including after investigators confronted him with the laptop image. Investigators substantiated allegations involving GCIC/NCIC violations and untruthfulness.
The distinction between a database lookup and lawful access matters. Police may query GCIC/NCIC for legitimate law-enforcement reasons, but access granted for official work is not blanket permission to investigate personal relationships. The underlying transaction logs, the query’s documented purpose and the full interview are essential to independently assess the findings.
A separate allegation about a job offer
The independent report also discussed a finding that Edwards had been untruthful about a claimed conditional employment offer from the Georgia State Patrol. That is a separate truthfulness issue from the GCIC/NCIC lookup. It should not be confused with proof of a Flock search or a criminal conviction.
Termination, grievance and the revised POST classification
Edwards’s employment ended November 21, 2025 after the department’s investigation. He contested the action, raising concerns about inconsistent discipline, disproportionate punishment, retaliation and racial discrimination. An independent investigation by Fisher & Phillips LLP for the city reported that it could not substantiate his discrimination, retaliation or unfair-treatment claims. A city-manager letter dated February 11, 2026 upheld the firing decision.
Through attorney Tierra Monteiro, Edwards petitioned in March 2026 to have his employment status changed. The request was granted, and the record was modified to Resigned in Lieu of Termination. Thus, reporting that he was originally terminated and the later POST separation code can both be accurate when the intervening administrative change is explained.
Georgia POST: nearly 1,000 training hours and an open review
The September 11, 2026 Georgia POST record previously examined by Shields of Shame reported 998 total training hours from 2020 through 2026, including 338 hours in 2025. Topics included search and seizure, ethics, interviews, de-escalation, legal updates and traffic investigation. Training records establish recorded course history; they do not independently resolve misconduct allegations.
The historical POST record listed an investigation opened November 26, 2025, overall status File Review Required, active Basic Law Enforcement and Radar/LIDAR credentials, and no sanctions at the time of that snapshot. An active credential is not an exoneration; a pending investigation is not a final disciplinary finding. A current POST report is required to establish whether anything changed.
Download the supplied police training record PDF ↗
What happened after Dunwoody?
The POST employment history reported Edwards returned to the Sylvester Police Department on January 21, 2026, with that employment ending May 13, 2026 as a voluntary resignation. The sequence illustrates why examining statewide certification and employment histories matters: leaving one department does not necessarily end an officer’s law-enforcement career. The underlying hiring disclosures, separation documents and updated employment history should be requested before drawing conclusions about what the second agency knew.
Where Flock enters the broader Dunwoody investigation
Shields of Shame has separately documented the investigation involving Jessica Emoniee Preston, in which records addressed both GCIC/NCIC and Flock activity. Edwards appears in the related investigation into the personal dispute, but evidence presently reviewed does not show that he personally made an unauthorized Flock query. The distinction protects the accuracy of the statewide database and the individuals named in it.
Dunwoody’s public Flock policy says searches require a legitimate documented law-enforcement purpose, are logged and audited every 30 days, and that retained plate reads are generally kept for 30 days unless preserved for evidence or another lawful reason. The department also operates a Real Time Crime Center that integrates Flock with other public-safety systems. Its official transparency page provides the policy framework against which audit logs and permissions can be tested.
Investigation timeline
- October 19, 2023: Edwards begins Dunwoody Police employment.
- 2024: Department recognizes him as Officer of the Second Quarter, Officer of the Year and Rising Star.
- March 2025: Annual awards publicly recognize his 2024 performance.
- October 4, 2025: Reported GCIC/NCIC warrant hit appears in investigative evidence.
- November 12, 2025: Ajape reports concerns to Dunwoody Police.
- November 21, 2025: Edwards’s Dunwoody employment ends.
- November 26, 2025: Georgia POST investigation opens.
- January 21, 2026: POST lists Edwards returning to Sylvester Police.
- February 11, 2026: City manager upholds original termination decision.
- March 2026: Counsel requests and obtains change to resignation in lieu of termination.
- May 13, 2026: Sylvester employment ends as voluntary resignation.
- September 11, 2026: Historical POST snapshot lists file review required and no final sanctions.
Original evidence gallery
Official sources and independent reporting
City of Dunwoody — official 2024 achievement awards ↗
Rough Draft Atlanta — independent review and employment status change ↗
Original Dunwoody internal-affairs summary PDF ↗
Dunwoody Police — official Flock safeguards and search policy ↗
Original Shields of Shame Jakori Edwards investigation ↗
Related Shields of Shame Jessica Preston investigation ↗
Records requests: what we need next
- Edwards’s individual GCIC/NCIC transaction history, purpose codes, query timestamps and terminal identifiers
- Complete Dunwoody IA file 2025-7, interviews, signed warnings, attachments, photos and adjudication
- Original termination notice, grievance, outside investigator’s complete report, February city-manager letter and March employment-status amendment
- Any individual Flock account, searches, audit history and access authorization associated with Edwards; if none, written confirmation of no responsive records
- POST investigative file, current certification history and any final action
- Sylvester Police hiring, disclosure, personnel and separation records, subject to statutory exemptions
- Dunwoody supervisory audits and GCIC/NCIC/Flock training and access policies in effect in 2025
Frequently asked questions
Was Edwards Dunwoody’s Officer of the Year?
Yes. The city publicly honored him for 2024 performance and also named him Rising Star of the Year.
Did investigators substantiate a database violation?
Reporting on the internal-affairs investigation describes substantiated GCIC/NCIC and truthfulness findings. Those are administrative findings, not criminal convictions.
Was he fired or did he resign?
The city initially terminated his employment. After a grievance and later request by counsel, the recorded separation classification was changed to resigned in lieu of termination.
Did Edwards misuse Flock?
That has not been established. The documented Edwards allegations concern GCIC/NCIC. Flock activity arose in a related Dunwoody investigation involving another officer.
Was his Georgia POST certification revoked?
The September 2026 historical record showed active certifications and an open file review, not a final revocation. Current status requires verification.
Updated October 12, 2026. This report distinguishes administrative findings, contested claims, later employment classifications and unverified Flock allegations. All external sources open in a new tab.