--- title: SR 856. Palmer, Officer Terry "J"; commend collection: bills id: 2025-2026/sr856 cite_as: SR 856, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr856 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr856.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr856/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/73621 date: 2026-02-26 status: passed corpus_version: bills-2026-09-13 license: Public record of the Georgia General Assembly, via LegiScan; see about.md publisher: Georgia Commons, an independent project of Georgia Civic Data. Not the State of Georgia. Not legal advice. up: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026.md previous: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr855.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr857.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 94 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr856.md?full=1 bill_number: SR 856 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: Senate bill_type: resolution status_date: 2026-02-26 last_action: Senate Read and Adopted sponsors: - Bo Hatchett - John Albers - Brian Strickland - Timothy Bearden - Blake Tillery text_version: Enrolled has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/SR856/2025 upstream_id: 2124763 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - law enforcement commendation - police officer recognition - Georgia Senate resolution - public safety --- # SR 856. Palmer, Officer Terry "J"; commend ## Text Senate Resolution 856 By: Senators Hatchett of the 50th, Albers of the 56th, Strickland of the 42nd, Bearden of the 30th and Tillery of the 19th A RESOLUTION Commending Officer Terry "J" Palmer; and for other purposes. WHEREAS, on September 7, 2024, Officer Terry "J" Palmer responded to a welfare check at the Cameron Circle Apartments involving an individual who had made suicidal threats and was later reported by neighbors to be armed, placing the situation at an elevated and imminent level of danger; and WHEREAS, as the incident escalated and assisting officers conducted a coordinated search of the area, Officer Palmer maintained his position near the front entrance of the apartment and observed the armed subject, who was now carrying an AR-15 style rifle and stealthily approaching four officers from behind who were unaware of the imminent threat; and WHEREAS, demonstrating exceptional courage, decisive judgment, and presence of mind, Officer Palmer immediately advanced toward the armed subject, issued verbal commands, and engaged the individual when he raised his rifle, temporarily halting the subject's advance and preventing the ambush; and WHEREAS, during the ensuing exchange of gunfire, Officer Palmer recognized the danger posed by crossfire to himself and an assisting deputy—while moving to cover, he physically pulled the deputy to safety by her ballistic vest, shielding both officers behind the structure of the apartment building before transitioning to lifesaving measures once the subject was incapacitated; and WHEREAS, Officer Palmer's conduct during this incident stands as testament to his commitment to the protection of others despite great personal risk and exemplifies the highest ideals of courage, selflessness, and composure under fire; and WHEREAS, it is abundantly fitting and proper that gratitude is expressed for the unique and often unheralded contributions of local law enforcement professionals on behalf of the citizens of this state. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE that the members of this body commend the care, courage, sympathy, and selfless dedication exhibited by Officer Terry "J" Palmer in carrying out the difficult duties of his vocation and express their utmost appreciation for having so purely and truly defined for others the meaning of public servant. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Secretary of the Senate is authorized and directed to make an appropriate copy of this resolution available for distribution to Officer Terry "J" Palmer. ## Summaries written by Georgia Commons The following was written by claude-sonnet-5 from the text above and is not part of the resolution. Quote the text, not the summary. A Georgia Senate resolution formally commends Officer Terry "J" Palmer for his actions during a September 2024 armed confrontation in Cameron Circle, recognizing his conduct on behalf of the state. ### Plain-language summary This resolution from the Georgia Senate honors Officer Terry "J" Palmer for his response to a dangerous incident on September 7, 2024, at the Cameron Circle Apartments. According to the resolution, Palmer confronted an armed individual carrying a rifle who was approaching four unaware officers from behind, and Palmer's actions halted the threat and prevented an ambush. The resolution also describes Palmer pulling a fellow deputy to safety during an exchange of gunfire and providing lifesaving aid once the subject was incapacitated. The Senate resolves to commend Palmer's courage and dedication, and directs the Secretary of the Senate to provide him with a copy of the resolution. This is a symbolic honor and does not change any Georgia law. ### What it does - Formally commends Officer Terry "J" Palmer for his conduct during a September 2024 armed incident at Cameron Circle Apartments. - Directs the Secretary of the Senate to prepare and distribute a copy of the resolution to Officer Palmer. - Creates no new law, funding, or penalty; it is a ceremonial statement of recognition by the Senate. ### Who it affects The resolution directly names and honors Officer Terry "J" Palmer. It also references an unnamed assisting deputy and other officers involved in the incident, as well as the Secretary of the Senate, who must distribute the commendation. ### Why it matters The resolution has no legal effect on Georgians generally; it does not change any statute, create funding, or impose requirements. Its significance is symbolic, publicly recognizing a law enforcement officer's actions during a dangerous incident. ### Key provisions - The whereas clauses recount the September 7, 2024 incident at Cameron Circle Apartments, including the armed subject, the ambush threat, and Palmer's intervention. - The resolved clause commends Palmer's courage, care, and dedication as a public servant. - A further resolved clause directs the Secretary of the Senate to make a copy of the resolution available for distribution to Palmer. ## Status - Status: Passed (2026-02-26) - Last action: Senate Read and Adopted (2026-02-26) - Sponsors: Bo Hatchett, John Albers, Brian Strickland, Timothy Bearden, Blake Tillery - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/73621 > The history, votes, and amendments (94 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr856.md?full=1