Ranking as the largest law enforcement agency in the state of Georgia, the Atlanta Police Department (APD) of 1,732 sworn officers serves the resident population of approximately 425,000 Atlanta citizens as well as the thousands of commuters who travel to the city to work. Its mission is simple: Reduce crime and promote the quality of life, in partnership with the community. The department functions around a community policing philosophy and depends on the valued input and collaborative efforts of Atlanta residents. Through this elevated community involvement, the APD strives to effectively address its three major priorities as a protector of the public: youth-related crime, domestic violence, and perceptions of crime in Atlanta. The APD also allows the community to obtain any information or services it may need via its website. Citizens have access to the Most Wanted List, crime statistics, and community intervention services to name only a few.
History
The origins of the APD can be traced back to 1837 when a railroad surveyor marked the future site of Atlanta; the original settlement was named Terminus. A few years later, the settlement’s name was changed to Marthesville and the first marshal was elected in 1844. By the year 1858, the state legislature recognized the new name Atlanta, the policemen count had raised to twenty men, and the first night police were elected. In 1873, a landmark event occurred: Thomas Jones was elected as the first chief of police and the APD was reorganized into a fully functioning police department.
Since that date, the APD has experienced many more landmark achievements. During the late 1800s, the department purchased its first police wagon and an eight-hour workday was approved for all officers. By 1890, the population ofAtlanta had risen to 65,553 and the department was allotted more than $100,000 for their yearly budget. The detective department was reorganized under Sgt. Bradley Slaughter and through his guidance, detectives used the Bertillon system of identification for the first time.
The early 1900s saw multiple changing of authority as several chiefs were elected in a fifteen-year period. The APD developed its first juvenile court and juvenile detention facilities. Organized prostitution was attacked and vigorous antivice campaigns were announced. In 1911, the officers acquired their first motorized police wagons, vehicles, and motorcycles. New Police Chief William M. Mayo erected the first police school of intensive instruction in 1915.
By the 1930s, Atlanta’s population had grown to 270,336 citizens. Traffic signals were installed downtown and a telephone exchange was now functioning at police headquarters. Policewomen were also now part of the growing police force. After the force lost two of its officers in World War II, the department rebounded in 1947 with the abolition of the Klan-dominated police union and the institution of the official Police Training Academy. Only one year later, the first African
American police officers went on duty on April 3, 1948.
The first noticeable crime rate decrease since World War II occurred in the mid-1950s. Women were assigned to regular beats and new headquarter stations were opened in different sections of the city. By 1960, the K-9 Corps had begun patrolling and helicopters were used for traffic control. The population of the city had risen to 487,455 persons.
During the heat of the civil rights movement, Howard Baugh became the first African American superior officer on March 31, 1961, and the department peacefully integrated Atlanta public high schools. African Americans were authorized to arrest whites engaged in criminal activities and the Fugitive Squad was organized. Near the end of the decade, African American officers were assigned to regular patrols and the five-day workweek was instituted for officers.
In 1974, the City of Atlanta created the Department of Public Safety, which included the police, fire, corrections, and other functions of protection for the city. However, this functioning unit only lasted until 1990 when it was abolished and individual entities were reinstated as separate functioning departments. Beverly Harvard became the first African American woman to hold the rank of chief of police of a major city in 1994 and led the largest law enforcement planning conducted by the APD for the 1996 Summer Olympics. In 1995, Chief Harvard opened a citywide 911 communications center in correlation with the Atlanta Fire Department, as well as increased initiatives for community policing and the domestic violence unit.
Current Organizational Structure
Chief Richard J. Pennington, Atlanta’s twenty-second chief of police, has been residing in his position since July 2002. He is responsible for the operation of five divisions and an annual budget of $120 million. Since his election as chief, he has formed the Cyber Crime Task Force with the FBI and established a new Homeland Security Unit within the department. His lateral entry program for new recruits has improved policing techniques with the new hires. Finally, and more importantly, he has reduced crime in the city by 12%.
The APD is currently organized into three divisions. The first is routine services, which include uniformed patrol, criminal investigations, and technical and administrative support services. A division of routine services includes the Police Operations Bureau (POB) of the APD consisting of the Field Operations Division, the Criminal Investigations Division, the Bureau of Taxicabs and Vehicles for Hire, and the Tactical Crime Analysis Unit. The POB coordinates the activities of police personnel who provide services to the citizens and visitors of Atlanta. A weekly COBRA (Command Operations Briefing to Revitalize Atlanta) meeting presents crime-fighting strategies and activities used in the department. This program is designed after the COMPSTAT program used nationwide.
A second main division is the emergency police response team, which is available twenty-four hours a day and can be located at strategically placed precincts citywide as well as at the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. The final and third main division is the Citizen Advisory Councils and Neighborhood Planning Units representing 139 separate neighborhoods. These units promote citizen input for departmental decisions, and foot and bicycle patrols and mini-precincts also promote frequent citizen-officer interaction.
Becoming an Atlanta Police Department Officer
The APD recruits for new trainees at job fairs across the nation and also in San Juan, their latest recruiting effort. Each recruit, after passing all minimum requirements to enter the academy, must pass a rigorous twenty-one-week academy training program that includes high-level physical abilities test, firearm training, and police procedures. The City of Atlanta is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, age, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, or physical disability (except where physical requirements constitute a bona fide occupational qualification).
