Atlanta Police Department

Atlanta Police Department
Abbreviation	APD
Motto	Resurgens Rising Again
Agency overview
Formed	1873; 148 years ago (1873)
Annual budget	$204,754,624 (2020)
Jurisdictional structure
Operations jurisdiction	Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.
Jurisdiction of the Atlanta Police Department
Size	136.76 square miles (354.2 km2) (total) (land)
Population	506,811 (2019)[1]
Legal jurisdiction	City of Atlanta
Operational structure
Police Officers	1,603
Corrections personnel and Civilian members	223
Mayor of Atlanta responsible	Keisha Lance Bottoms
Agency executive	Rodney Bryant, Chief
Facilities
Zones	show 7 Airport Zone 1 Zone 2 Zone 3 Zone 4 Zone 5 Zone 6
Jails	3
Website
www.atlantapd.org

The Atlanta Police Department (APD) is a law enforcement agency in the city of Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.

The city shifted from its rural-based Marshal and Deputy Marshal model at the end of the 19th century. In 1873, the department was formed with 26 officers. Thomas Jones was elected the first Atlanta Chief of Police by the city council. The agency is located at: 226 Peachtree St SW, Atlanta, Ga. 30303.^[2]

The 1,700+ officer force^[3] is currently being led by former Assistant Police Chief Rodney Bryant (acting), after Chief Erika Shields resigned following the killing of Rayshard Brooks. Bryant will serve as interim police chief until the city finds a replacement.^[4]

Ranks and insignia[]

Title	Insignia	Shirt Color	Badge Color
Chief of Police		White	Gold
Assistant Chief		White	Gold
Deputy Chief		White	Gold
Major		White	Gold
Captain		White	Gold
Lieutenant		White	Gold
Sergeant		Dark Blue	Gold
Investigator	No Insignia	Dark Blue	Silver
Senior Police Officer	No Insignia	Dark Blue	Silver
Police Officer	No Insignia	Dark Blue	Silver

Corrections[]

The Atlanta Police Department works with the City of Atlanta Corrections Department, which operates three jails:

Demographics[]

Breakdown of the makeup of the rank and file of APD as of 2013:^[5]

• Male: 82%
• Female: 18%
• African American/Black: 58%
• Caucasian/ White: 37%
• Hispanic: 4%
• Asian: 1%

Controversies[]

A federal investigation was conducted into the Atlanta Police Department's practices after the 2006 killing of 92-year-old Kathryn Johnston, who shot at officers as they entered her home unannounced on a no-knock warrant. Prosecutors alleged that the officers falsified information and documents after the killing to justify the serving of the warrant. On April 26, 2007, two officers pleaded guilty to manslaughter, violation of oath, criminal solicitation, and making false statements. One additionally pleaded guilty to perjury.^[6]

On July 8, 2011, it was reported in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that six police officers were fired for lying about events concerning the Atlanta Eagle police raid (which targeted the Atlanta Eagle, a gay bar). In June 2011, a 343-page report was released that details how 16 officers lied or destroyed evidence when asked about the raid on the Eagle Bar. At least two of the officers in question had been cited for lying on another occasion in a federal drug case in October 2009 (the federal prosecutors informed the Atlanta Police Department that they would never be used again in a federal prosecution).^[7]

On April 8, 2011, APD officers shot a 64-year-old U.S. Marine veteran who had fired several shots at the ground in front of a man who was stealing from him, which was a frequent occurrence.^[8] He lost his kidney, and while he was eventually released from prison in early November after prosecutors finally dropped charges—after threatening him with 105 years in prison^[8]—his home and that of his deceased father had been looted and burnt by criminals who stole almost all his personal and business possessions.^[8][9] APD officers claimed Sturdivant pointed his rifle at the officers, who never identified themselves, a point disputed by Sturdivant's public defender given that the one bullet of the 14 officers fired that actually hit him, traveled through the side of the rifle's stock.^[8]

On May 30, 2020, during the George Floyd protests in Georgia, Atlanta police pulled two black students from their car, broke a car window, and used Tasers to shock them. This came after officers arrested a classmate of theirs whom they wanted to pick up; an officer ordered the students to continue driving, which they complied. One officer claimed that one of the students possessed a gun, but no gun was found. One of the students stated that he was punched over 10 times in the back after being arrested. Within days, six officers were charged as a result of the incident; two were fired, and four were put on administrative leave. The Fulton County District Attorney, Paul Howard, stated that the two college students were "innocent almost to the point of being naive".^[10][11][12]

On June 12, 2020, APD officers were called to a Wendy's, where the suspect, Rayshard Brooks, was sleeping inside of a car with its engine on in the drive-thru lane of the establishment. Officers conducted a field-sobriety test on Brooks, which he failed, leading officers to attempt to put him in custody. According to the GBI, Brooks resisted and got into a physical struggle with an officer, which led to Brooks grabbing a taser from the officer. Once Brooks got a hold of the taser, he began to flee. Surveillance footage shows Brooks fleeing about seven parking spaces in the parking lot. Brooks then turned around and fired the taser at the officer chasing him. That led to the officer retrieving and discharging his service weapon, firing three times at Brooks, striking him two times in the back. Brooks was taken to a local hospital, where he died after emergency surgery.^[13]

Equipment used by the Atlanta Police Department[]

An APD Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor parked by the station at Underground Atlanta

Vehicles: Ford Police Interceptor equipped with state-of-the-art Whelen LED Lighting packages and digital control consoles along with Panasonic Toughbook Mobile Data Terminals. In fall 2013, the Atlanta Police Department began phasing new Ford Taurus Police interceptors into its fleet to replace the old Crown Victoria interceptors. The entire fleet totals around 300 vehicles and the remaining Crown Victoria interceptors will be phased out as they lose usefulness. ^[14]

Communications: Motorola Digital 800 MHz Trunking system that is one of the largest in the country and utilizes 24 channels. This system provides voice and data communications for the Atlanta Police, Fire, Watershed, Corrections and other Municipal Departments. The Atlanta Police Radio System also provides voice and data communications for the Georgia State Patrol inside of the Atlanta Metropolitan area and the City of Hapeville, The City of East Point, and the City of College Park.

Weapons: The department has transitioned to a 9mm handgun, the Glock 17 Gen 4, phasing out the .40 S&W Glock 22. The reason for this was modern 9x19mm bullet effectiveness and the fact 9mm puts less wear on the gun's components due to lower pressures compared to .40 S&W. The APD has standardized Winchester PDX1 147 grain 9mm ammunition.

The APD also trains and issues the AR-15 to many of its patrol officers to aid in tactical situations where a pistol and shotgun are out matched.

Police patrol zones of Atlanta[]

Map showing the Atlanta Police Zones in February 2013

In the City of Atlanta, there are six "patrol zones" (more commonly known as just "zones") which lie under the jurisdiction of the Field Operations Division of the Atlanta Police Department.^[15][16]

Zones and constituent neighborhoods[]

Zone 1 covers the city's northwest side, west of Downtown Atlanta and north of I-20. Zone 2 covers all of the city's northern area. The Zone 3 area is located on the south/southeast and parts of southwest side of the city. The Zone 4 area is located on the southwest side of Atlanta. Zone 5 encompasses the central portion of APD's jurisdiction. Zone 6 includes all but the northernmost part of Atlanta's Eastside.

See also[]

• Atlanta Chief of Police
• Containment (TV series), Zone 6 is placed under cordon sanitaire to prevent the spread of a deadly, highly contagious, bioengineered virus
• List of law enforcement agencies in Georgia

References[]

External links[]

• Atlanta Police Department