An Atlanta police officer, who resigned after being investigated for using excessive force, has found a new job in law enforcement.
Despite having a federal excessive force lawsuit filed against him, he was hired as an officer at a state university.
Officer Jasiah Lencrerot was able to secure a job at Clayton State University after being the subject of a four-year ongoing probe into his conduct as an officer. WSB-TV conducted an investigation that exposed the multiple times the former Atlanta Police Department officer was accused of violating his oath of office and using excessive force.
Even with victims’ testimony, CSU gave glowing remarks about their new employee—and was not deterred by his policing-related legal troubles.
A 2019 offense prompted Michael Alexander to file a complaint with Atlanta’s Citizen Review Board. This board reviewed the case and in March 2020 found that Lencrerot used excessive force.
During the board’s investigation into the incident, Lencrerot resigned from the force and thus never faced any punishment from the APD or received any marks on his record.
Still, with this decision in tow, in 2021, Alexander filed a civil lawsuit against him for the altercation.
In this complaint obtained by Atlanta Black Star, he and another officer, Yamilee Jean-Phillipe, are alleged to have falsely arrested a man outside of a courtroom for obstruction and disorderly conduct.
Court records show the incident started after Alexander objected to the no-phone policy and claimed he might need to use his phone because his girlfriend had just had a baby and was in the hospital.
Eventually, Jean-Phillipe had Alexander removed from the courtroom. When he left the space, so did Lencrerot.
In the hallway, according to the lawsuit, Lencrerot violently confronted Alexander, poking his finger in the man’s face and shouting at him. The incident was caught on cellphone camera.
Lawyers for Alexander say that the officer not only antagonized their client but also assaulted and battered him.
“When he threw me, now you know, the back of my head hit the wall. You know, he put his knee out in my back,” Alexander said regarding the altercation.
Lencrerot wrestled him down to the ground, despite seeing that he was handicapped, the lawsuit alleges, dragged and handcuffed him. Jean-Philippe accused Alexander of refusing to follow a lawful order.
According to the complaint, “Mr. Alexander, who was in shorts, was an obvious amputee with a prosthetic leg. The violent takedown performed by Officer Lencrerot caused Mr. Alexander to receive injuries to his skull, right wrist/hand, right leg, and left arm.”
Alexander alleges after the incident he suffers from chronic headaches and blurred vision because he had to be treated at Kaiser Permanente for “an infection on his right leg caused by the violent takedown.”
The court dismissed Alexander’s claims against the officers because they were improperly pled as false arrest instead of malicious prosecution and not adequately proven, according to court documents. The court did, however, allow him to file again.
On Oct. 14, 2022, he filed a second amended complaint, hoping this time to receive justice for himself. The case is ongoing.
However, WSB-TV reports this was not the only time Lancrerot had an issue with a civilian who claimed he used excessive force while policing.
Shy Bailey said she also had an issue with Lancrerot when he was on the APD, working off-duty as security at the Allen Hills Apartments in Southwest Atlanta.
Bailey said she was attempting to pick up her child but did not have proper identification when he asked for it. This ignited a brash argument between her and the officer.
“He was like ‘Get out this car! I’m going to break your (expletive) arm!’ He’s like ‘Well, I’m going to detain you. You’re going to get out of this car,’ ” she recalled.
As the argument elevated, she FaceTimed her boyfriend to bear witness to the altercation. He recorded their interaction.
“You can see him tussling with me trying to get me out of the car,” Bailey said, alleging she was pulled from her car, dragged on the ground down the street, and later shackling her with handcuffs.
The woman filed a formal complaint with the APD, which reprimanded the officer by writing him up for working an off-duty job without a valid permit.
Lencrerot was never found guilty of excessive force in either case.
In July 2022, Clayton State University hired the former officer as campus law enforcement. On his application, while he reportedly did mention that he was sued by Alexander, he did not list the excessive force allegation.
CSU is a small Georgia school within the metropolitan Atlanta area, with approximately 6,000 students. Founded in 1969, the school is public and predominantly Black.
The school has a full-service law enforcement division called the Department of Public Safety, that according to the school’s website, “is dedicated to fostering a cooperative working relationship with the University community to ensure the safety and security of an environment that is conducive to teaching, learning, research and public service.”
When presented with details about the lawsuit and the Bailey incident by the media, the university seemed to stand by its employee, saying that police chief Mike Keener has been pleased with Lencrerot’s performance over the last year.
Clayton University Police patrols four campuses: Jonesboro, Fayette, Morrow and the World Drive location. In the school’s annual crime report, there were no reported crimes in 2022.
