2016 Georgia Code
Title 15 - Courts
Chapter 12 - Juries
Article 4 - Grand Juries
Part 1 - General Provisions
§ 15-12-71. Duties of grand jury

(a) The duties of a grand jury shall be confined to such matters and things as it is required to perform by the Constitution and laws or by order of any superior court judge of the superior court of the county.

(b) (1) The grand jury shall at least once in each calendar year inspect the condition and operations of the county jail. The grand jury shall at least once in every three calendar years inspect and examine the offices and operations of the clerk of superior court, the judge of the probate court, and the county treasurer or county depository. If the office of the district attorney is located in the county in which the grand jury is impaneled, the grand jury shall inspect and examine the offices of the district attorney at least once in every three calendar years. If the offices of the district attorney are located in a county other than the county in which the grand jury is impaneled, the grand jury may inspect the offices of the district attorney as the grand jury deems necessary or desirable.

(2) In addition to the inspections provided for in paragraph (1) of this subsection, the grand jury shall, whenever deemed necessary by eight or more of its members, appoint a committee of its members to inspect or investigate any county office or county public building or any public authority of the county or the office of any county officer, any court or court official of the county, the county board of education, or the county school superintendent or any of the records, accounts, property, or operations of any of the foregoing.

(3) The grand jury may prepare reports or issue presentments based upon its inspections as provided for in this subsection, and any such presentments shall be subject to publication as provided for in Code Section 15-12-80.

(4) The grand jury may appoint one citizen of the county to provide technical expertise to the grand jury in connection with inspections provided for in this Code section. Such citizen shall be compensated at the same rate that a grand juror is compensated.

(5) (A) As used in this paragraph, the term "serious bodily injury" means bodily harm which deprives a person of a member of his or her body, which renders a member of such person's body useless, or which seriously disfigures such person's body or a member thereof.

(B) The grand jury, whenever deemed necessary by eight or more of its members or at the request of the district attorney, shall conduct a review of any incident in which a peace officer's use of deadly force resulted in death or serious bodily injury to another. Except when requested by the district attorney, such review shall only be conducted after the investigative report of the incident has been completed and submitted to the district attorney. The district attorney shall begin assisting the grand jury in its review no later than one year from the date of the incident or, if an attorney was appointed under Code Section 15-18-5, one year from the date of such appointment. A review shall not be conducted pursuant to this paragraph in any case in which the district attorney informs the grand jury that a bill of indictment or special presentment will be presented to a grand jury charging such peace officer with a criminal offense in conjunction with, or arising out of, the incident in which such peace officer's use of deadly force resulted in death or serious bodily injury to another.

(C) Not less than 20 days prior to the date upon which the grand jury shall begin hearing evidence in its review, the chief executive officer of the law enforcement agency and the peace officer shall be notified of such date and the time and place of the grand jury meeting, provided that nothing in this paragraph shall require either officer to make a presentation to the grand jury unless requested by the grand jury to do so.

(D) When the grand jury is conducting a review pursuant to this paragraph, the testimony of any witness appearing before it and any argument or legal advice provided to the grand jury by the prosecuting attorney shall be recorded by a court reporter. The cost of conducting such review, including, but not limited to, the cost of any recordation and transcription of testimony, shall be paid out of the county treasury, upon the certificate of the judge of the superior court, as other court expenses are paid.

(E) Prior to the introduction of any evidence or the first witness being sworn, the district attorney shall advise the grand jury of the laws applicable to the conduct of such review. In particular, the grand jury shall be advised of Code Sections 16-3-20, 16-3-21, 16-3-23.1, and 17-4-20.

(c) Any grand jury or any committee thereof which has undertaken to conduct an inspection or investigation as provided in subsection (b) of this Code section shall have the right to examine any papers, books, records, and accounts, to compel the attendance of witnesses, and to hear evidence. If any public officer, agent, or employee refuses to produce any such papers, books, records, and accounts, any superior court judge of the superior court of the county, upon evidence being adduced, may enforce this Code section by mandamus or attachment as the case may require. If any public officer, agent, or employee fails or refuses to exhibit to the grand jury or its committee the funds on hand or claimed by them to be on hand upon presentation of that fact to any superior court judge of the superior court the judge may by mandamus or attachment compel the delivery of the funds to the grand jury or the committee for the purpose of counting.

(d) The judge charging the grand jury shall inform the grand jury of the provisions of subsections (b) and (c) of this Code section.

(e) (1) If the grand jury conducts a review pursuant to paragraph (5) of subsection (b) of this Code section, and the grand jury does not request that the district attorney create a bill of indictment or special presentment, the grand jury shall prepare a report or issue a general presentment based upon its inspection, and any such report or presentment shall be subject to publication as provided for in Code Section 15-12-80.

(2) Such report or general presentment shall include a summary of the evidence considered by the grand jury and the grand jury's findings of the facts regarding the incident.

(3) Such report or general presentment shall be returned to the court by the grand jury and published in open court, and the report or general presentment shall be filed with the clerk.

(4) If the grand jury does not request that the district attorney create a bill of indictment or special presentment, the district attorney shall, upon the release of such report or general presentment and unless otherwise ordered by the court, make available for inspection or copying any evidence considered by the grand jury during such review and the transcripts of the testimony of the witnesses who testified during the review no later than the end of the following term of court or six months, whichever is later. On motion of the district attorney, the court shall order the redaction of any part of the evidence or transcripts which contains matters subject to a statutory privilege, the names of the grand jurors, or information contained therein that may be exempt from disclosure pursuant to Code Section 50-18-72.

(5) Any person requesting copies of such report, copies of any evidence considered by the grand jury during such review, or the transcripts of the testimony of the witnesses who testified during the review may be charged a reasonable fee for the cost of the redaction, reproduction, copying, and delivery of such report, evidence, or transcripts as provided in Code Section 50-18-71. Such costs shall be paid before such material is provided.

(f) If the grand jury requests that the district attorney create a bill of indictment or special presentment against the peace officer, the transcript of the testimony of the witnesses who testified during the review, together with any other evidence presented to the grand jury, shall not be disclosed, except as provided in Code Section 15-12-72 and in compliance with Article 1 of Chapter 16 of Title 17. If the bill of indictment or special presentment is to be presented to another grand jury, the district attorney shall transfer such transcripts and evidence to the grand jury considering the bill of indictment or special presentment.