Friday, September 19, 2008

Community Policing, Training, and Preparedness (CoPTAP) Program a Key Component to Improving Public Safety

In 2007, the Atlanta City Council adopted legislation introduced by Atlanta City Councilman Ceasar C. Mitchell (Post 1 At-Large) to improve public safety and strengthen police relations with the citizens of Atlanta.  "I firmly believe that the CoPTAP program will benefit all residents, business owners and visitors in the city of Atlanta," said Councilman Mitchell.

The CoPTAP program (Community Policing, Training, and Preparedness) requires that all members of each class of graduates from the police academy be assigned to foot patrol duty for a period of eight weeks, first in the two police zones which have experienced the highest crime rates and eventually to all six police zones.

For Councilman Mitchell, the establishment of this program only enhances the current efforts of the Atlanta Police Department.  "The crime fighting measures implemented by Chief Pennington and other Atlanta officers have moved our collective efforts to improve public safety in the right direction.  But, the incorporation of a community-policing model will buttress such efforts by increasing police visibility and allowing our new police officers to gain essential hands on experience through direct interaction with community residents."

The measure was introduced by Councilman Mitchell based upon information he received from two public safety town hall meetings he co-hosted and research obtained from the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation which attests to the effectiveness of community policing as a crime deterrent.

The program began May 2, 2008 and will take place at Zones 1 and 4.

For more information on community policing please visit the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Community Oriented Policing Services website.