The Neighborhood Police Reform

Mayor issues orders for APD to change its use-of-force policies

By Collin Kelley

The Atlanta Police Department is in the process of implementing reforms to its use-of-force policies after Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms issued seven administrative orders in August.

Bottoms stood up the Use of Force Advisory Council in the wake of the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police. She said the council had done an extraordinary amount of work in 45 days and had received input from officers, the community, and national experts to craft 33 recommendations.

“The collective effort underway with the APD, our community and partners to reform our city’s use of force policies will continue to position the police department as a national model for modern policing,” Bottoms said. “Thank you to the members of the Use of Force Advisory Council for developing a roadmap that will help strengthen APD and build trust between law enforcement and our communities.”

The Mayor’s seven administrative orders address 16 of the 33 recommendations outlined in the report and gives direction for the city’s chief operating officer to oversee implementation.

The orders include:

■ Developing a plan for officer training and non-retaliation language regarding an officer’s duty to intervene when seeing another officer using unreasonable force.

■ Engaging with the Atlanta Citizen Review Board (ACRB) to develop standard operating procedures that outline a clear process to coordinate investigatory data exchange and communication of disciplinary action, as well as evaluating potential actions APD could take to collaborate with ACRB to improve community awareness. ‘

■ Working with the City Attorney to develop a multiyear partnership with the Atlanta/ Fulton County PreArrest Diversion Initiative (PAD) to continue the work of the program.

■ Working with APD to compile public reports into a single public-facing platform for public transparency and to develop a dashboard that shows APD’s use of force trends.

■ Collaborating with APD and coordinate with the ACRB to develop recommendations regarding how conflicts between APD and ARB disciplinary recommendations may be resolved; providing notice to ACRB of any changes to operating procedures related to use of force within 30 days; and expanding the ACRB mediation program.

■ Forming a partner with Atlanta/ Fulton County PAD to develop a training rollout plan aligned to the initiative’s expansion across all Atlanta zones.

■ A top to bottom review of Atlanta policing, including a plan to solicit community input on reimagining the vision, mission and core values of the APD; creation of de-escalation requirements, outlining specific examples/ tactics and creating a requirement to consider vulnerable populations when deciding to use force; recommendations on how to revise officer evaluation systems to incentivize eligible diversions and de-incentivize certain arrests; and a plan to work with APD, City of Atlanta, alternative response organizations, and other key stakeholders to develop an alternative response continuum.

The full Advisory Council report can be found at atlantaga.gov by searching for use of force advisory council.