A high-ranking Atlanta police official is now at the center of an investigation tied to a federal judicial misconduct case that has drawn attention across Georgia's legal and law enforcement communities.
According to The Associated Press, the Atlanta Police Department confirmed this week that it has opened an inquiry to determine whether Deputy Chief Kelley Collier is the law enforcement officer referenced in a judicial disciplinary proceeding involving a federal judge. The case stems from findings that a judge engaged in a years-long extramarital relationship with a senior officer from a major agency within the judge's jurisdiction.
According to court records reviewed by federal judicial authorities, the relationship included multiple encounters inside the judge's chambers during business hours. Investigators found that the judge and the cop even had sex with each other in the judge’s chambers, which occurred within earshot of courthouse staff.
The officer has been identified in multiple reports as Collier, a veteran Atlanta Police Department official who currently serves as commander of the agency’s Community Services Division.
"The Atlanta Police Department has launched an investigation to determine if the person mentioned in the Committee on Judicial Conduct and Disability of the Judicial Conference of the United States is indeed an employee of the Atlanta Police Department," the department said in a public statement.
The judge was later identified by multiple reports as Judge Eleanor Ross of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia. Ross, who was appointed to the federal bench by former President Barack Obama in 2014, received a private reprimand after an extensive judicial investigation concluded she violated ethical standards.
The inquiry found that she participated in an extramarital relationship with a prominent law enforcement official, attended a partisan political event, and initially made false statements while responding to questions about the allegations.
According to the Judicial Council of the 11th Circuit, the judge originally denied the claims and suggested a law clerk may have fabricated them. However, investigators reviewed courthouse access records and security footage showing repeated visits by an officer who matched the description provided by witnesses.
Multiple former clerks told investigators they observed the officer entering chambers during lunch hours, while others reported hearing what they believed was intimate activity from inside the office.
The investigation began after a law clerk reported concerns about conduct occurring in chambers. A special committee ultimately determined that while some workplace-related allegations were not substantiated, the judge admitted to the relationship and later recanted earlier denials.
The committee cited her admission, along with what it described as an otherwise strong judicial record, as reasons for issuing a private reprimand rather than recommending more severe disciplinary measures.
Federal judges hold lifetime appointments and cannot be removed except through impeachment by Congress.
