A new online survey lets those who live and work in Atlanta to comment on a review of the city’s police department for possible reforms.
The survey was announced by the Atlanta Police Department March 8 and is available at surveymonkey.com/r/ATLPoliceReform. The survey does not specify an end date for input.
The intent is for the public to “express their views and perceptions of public safety and police reform,” according to the survey introduction. It is specifically for Atlanta residents and those who work in the city to comment about the work of APD and not other police agencies.
According to its introduction, respondents’ comments are confidential. The survey will not work on Firefox browsers, the introduction says.
The survey is part of a review of APD’s policies, procedures and training ordered last year by Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms. The review is being paid for by the Atlanta Committee for Progress, a group of corporate leaders that advises the mayor.
The review comes amid a citywide rise in violent crime and following last year’s Black Lives Matter protests about racial justice and controversial police killings, including the shooting of Rayshard Brooks by APD officers in a case that sparked the resignation of former Atlanta Police Chief Erika Shields. The review is also part of Bottoms’ overall criminal justice system reform policies, including the proposed closure and remaking of the Atlanta City Detention Center. For more about those plans, see the city website here.