The civic record
Read. Follow. Verify.Georgia enacts rules for placing peace officers on Giglio lists and sheriff qualification requirements
Last action · May 12, 2025: House Date Signed by GovernorSponsors: Houston Gaines and 6 others
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What This Bill Does
Georgia House Bill 288 establishes formal notice, reconsideration, and review procedures when prosecutors place a peace officer's name on a for credibility issues. The law requires sheriff candidates to be certified peace officers or meet specific military or law enforcement backgrounds with a six-month window to achieve certification. It also exempts Giglio list records from public disclosure and protects officers from being disciplined solely for appearing on the list without independent investigation.
The measure alters how police credibility determinations affect law enforcement careers by granting officers 30 days to request reconsideration from prosecutors and mandating that the Georgia Peace Officer Standards and Training Council review the factual basis of the listing before any separate disciplinary action can proceed.
- A Giglio list refers to a roster compiled by prosecutors of law enforcement officers who have credibility issues that must be disclosed to criminal defendants under constitutional case law established by Giglio v. United States. context
- The Georgia Peace Officer Standards and Training Council is the state regulatory body responsible for certifying law enforcement officers and overseeing training and professional standards across Georgia. context
Who It Affects
Groups the bill's text affects, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
peace officers
Peace officers receive statutory due process protections, notice rights, reconsideration windows, and immunity from discipline based solely on Giglio list inclusion.
prosecuting attorneys
Prosecutors must issue formal written notices upon placing officers on Giglio lists, review reconsideration requests, adopt uniform council policies, and receive civil immunity absent actual malice.
law enforcement agencies
Agencies must forward notices to the council within 30 days, distribute notices to affected officers, and adhere to restrictions preventing adverse employment actions without independent investigations.
Georgia Peace Officer Standards and Training Council
The council is empowered to review the factual basis of Giglio list placements, initiate disciplinary reviews, and promulgate attestation forms for sheriff candidates.
Key Facts
- Prosecutors placing a peace officer's name on a Giglio list must send written notice via registered mail, certified mail, or statutory overnight delivery to the officer's employing agency and the Georgia Peace Officer Standards and Training Council.
- Affected peace officers or their employing agencies may submit a request for reconsideration to the prosecuting attorney no later than 30 days after receiving notice.
- The Prosecuting Attorneys' Council of the State of Georgia must develop mandatory policies and procedures for Giglio list placement, removal, notice, and reconsideration.
- The Georgia Peace Officer Standards and Training Council must initiate a review of the factual basis upon receiving notice that a peace officer has been placed on a Giglio list.
Show all 10 facts
- Law enforcement agencies and the council are prohibited from suspending, revoking, or disciplining a peace officer solely based on the placement of their name on a Giglio list without independent substantiation.
- Records relating to Giglio lists are exempt from public disclosure under the Open Records Act.
- Candidates qualifying for the office of sheriff must be registered or certified peace officers not under revocation, or alternatively qualify as a first responder, military veteran, or former officer who obtains certification within six months of taking office.
- Any person who knowingly provides false information on a sheriff candidacy affidavit commits the offense of false swearing and illegal submission of a false document.
- Law enforcement agencies must forward any Giglio list notice received regarding an officer to the council within 30 days for review.
- Employers disclosing employment-related information in good faith to a hiring law enforcement agency are granted civil immunity unless malice or bad faith is shown by clear and convincing evidence.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a Giglio list under this law?
Can an officer be fired immediately if their name is placed on a Giglio list?
How long does an officer have to request reconsideration after being placed on a Giglio list?
Are Giglio list records available to the public?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
Follow the record
Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
Current status: Signed into law.
Procedural history
16 actions- May 12, 2025HouseEnrolledHouse Date Signed by Governor
- May 12, 2025GovernorEnrolledAct 115
- May 12, 2025Georgia General AssemblyEffective Date
- Apr 10, 2025HouseHouse Sent to Governor
- Mar 31, 2025SenateSenate Third Read
- Mar 31, 2025SenateFloorSenate Passed/Adopted By Substitute
Show 10 earlier actions
- Mar 31, 2025HouseFloorHouse Agreed Senate Amend or Sub
- Mar 25, 2025SenateSenate Read Second Time
- Mar 21, 2025SenateCommitteeSenate Committee Favorably Reported By Substitute
- Mar 10, 2025SenateIntroducedSenate Read and Referred
- Mar 6, 2025HouseHouse Third Readers
- Mar 6, 2025HouseFloorHouse Passed/Adopted By Substitute
- Mar 4, 2025HouseCommitteeHouse Committee Favorably Reported By Substitute
- Feb 10, 2025HouseHouse Second Readers
- Feb 6, 2025HouseIntroducedHouse First Readers
- Feb 5, 2025HouseIntroducedHouse Hopper
Version history & redline
5 versions on fileLobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Standardization of Giglio List Procedures
The legislation introduces mandatory notice, reconsideration timelines, and independent council review for prosecutors' credibility lists, which previously lacked uniform statutory regulation.
Connected Entities
Sources
www.legis.ga.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance85How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy60Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment15Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz40Current news / social attention level
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