Cobb County Solicitor General Makia Metzger hosted a public meeting to provide county residents with information about misdemeanor crimes and discuss her commitment to community engagement.
The June 28 event brought out more than 25 people including families, other elected officials and curious Cobb County residents.
Metzger aims to reinforce trust within the Cobb County court system through transparency with the public.
“Ultimately we want to seek justice,” she said. “The purpose of justice is not just about people being impartial, it is about seeking truth and that is the first thing we do.”
The Solicitor General’s office investigates crimes, conducts interviews with victims and witnesses, files accusations, and makes decisions about whether to prosecute cases.
It investigates and prosecutes misdemeanor offences such as DUI offenses, traffic citations and domestic violence cases. Most cases are solved through negotiation and rarely make it to trial. In Cobb County, many of the offenses are misdemeanors.
Metzger places a special focus on domestic violence. In 2024, she managed 758 domestic violence cases. She emphasized the importance of proper education for young adults so they can learn to recognize the signs of abuse early on, as well as educating police officers about the proper handling of a domestic violence incident.
Metzger pointed that if the Solicitor General’s office can get a hold of a case early, there is a higher success rate of prosecution.
“It’s very hard to prosecute because they often don’t even know it’s happening,” Metzger said. “Most people in that situation want to forgive and forget, by the time we get it to trial the person who had been hurt often is in a state of forgiveness and forgetting.”
At the town hall meeting, Metzger’s office partnered with Kelly Johnson, Kennesaw State University’s equity and Title IX investigator, to speak about consent and violence in dating. Johnson handles sensitive investigations such as matters of sexual assault, dating violence, harassment and discrimination.
“Education is important in our community so we can drive down rates,” Johnson said. “[Metzger] talked about the statistics and how little they can be curtailed or minimized, but education is one of the ways to do it.”
Metzger answered questions about a variety of topics including the prosecution of DUI cases, the department’s budget and various youth involvement programs.
“The only way to be transparent is to get out and really have ways for the public to come in and communicate with the elected official, to talk about what their office does, and to learn about the internal workings,” Cindy Yeager, chief deputy assistant-solicitor general said.
Visitors had a chance to mingle and meet with the solicitor general.
“I just wanted to come out, support and see what she has to say,” Aleah Horace said. “It is important for elected officials to hold events so they can outreach with their community.”
“They’re working for us, so they need to hear from us as well,” Horace added.
