Atlanta’s Police Department aims to be a source of pride for its residents and admired among its peers worldwide through its professionalism, integrity, and service to the community.
"Atlanta is the city I love, where I have made my home for the last 20 years. I can think of no greater privilege than to continue being able to serve the residents of this great city alongside the civilian and sworn personnel who serve in a Constitutional, committed, competent, and compassionate manner every single day."
The Atlanta Police Department’s mission is to create a safer city by reducing crime, ensuring the safety of its residents, and building trust in partnership with the community.
Like many metropolitan police departments in the United States, recruitment and retention of personnel remains both a challenge and a high priority. APD is making progress in this area thanks to its new world-class training facility, competitive pay, opportunities for professional growth, incentives like take-home cars, the Secure Neighborhoods Initiative which enables officers to live where they work, childcare assistance, and more.
Additionally, the Atlanta Police Department recently launched the civilian Community Assistance Responder (C.A.R.E.) Unit to handle lower-level service calls, such as non-injury accidents and traffic management. Once fully implemented, this unit will alleviate staffing challenges, enabling officers to respond more quickly to calls that require armed patrol.
The Atlanta Police Department is one of only 15 law enforcement agencies, out of 18,000 in the nation, to obtain a model city designation for its efforts to implement the recommendations set forth by President Obama’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing.
"Our public safety personnel must have modern, top-quality training programs and facilities throughout their careers, from their first day in the academy to routine training thereafter. This includes the most progressive training curriculum in the nation which includes learning and practicing de-escalation skills, mental health training, anti-bias training, and building relationships with citizens to continue strengthening community trust"
In 2021 the Atlanta Police Training Center was condemned and closed. Since then, training has been segmented across the region requiring excessive travel by officers who are not able to train in a coordinated manner with or in “real world” scenarios with other Atlanta first responders.
Atlanta’s new Public Safety Training Center will be a world-class facility with the space and infrastructure to allow critically needed joint training with Atlanta Fire and Rescue and EMS, supporting 21st-centuryy policing.
Among the many benefits the training center will bring to the surrounding community, it will help improve Atlanta’s public safety elements like criminal investigations, de-escalation, firearm training, crisis intervention, k-9 training, anti-bias, cultural awareness, forensics and others.
The Community Oriented Policing Section (COPS)focuses on building strong community relationships to prevent crime. COPS offers various programs including crime prevention, youth outreach, and specialized units addressing LGBTQ+ community needs.
Other key initiatives include:
The Police Athletic League (PAL) which offers sports as a structured, safe way to spend time
Path Force Unit for Beltline safety.
The H.O.P.E (Homeless Outreach Proactive Enforcement) Team to address homelessness and mental health crises
Atlanta Police Explorers Program to connect and educate young people about law enforcement careers.
