Atlanta Police Department history

1863 Deputy marshal Tim Shivers killed in duel by G. W. “Whit” Anderson; first Atlanta peace officer killed

1872 Officer M.W. Rasbury killed by Penn Bedell; first Atlanta Police Officer killed in the line of duty, March 7, 1872

1873 First board of police commissioners meets and names Thomas Jones as the first chief of police

1874 *Thomas Jones elected to first full term as chief of the newly reorganized police department

1876 *James A. Anderson elected chief (January)

1878 *L.P. Thomas elected chief (April 4). Headquarters moved to a three-story building on S. Pryor St

1880 *Lovice T. Anderson elected chief(April 14.

1881 *Arthur B. Connolly elected chief, April 1881

1886 First police wagon purchased

1889 Eight-hour workday adopted for police

1896 Detective department reorganized under Sergeant Bradley Slaughter.

1904 Juvenile Court and separate juvenile detention facilities established

1911 *James L. Beavers elected chief ,August 11; police department acquires first motorized vehicles; motorcycles and auto patrol wagons

1915 *Chief Beavers resigns: William M. Mayo elected chief ,August 3, Chief Mayo establishes first police school of intensive instruction; publication of daily bulletin begins

1918 Department completely motorized; first two policewomen appointed; Bureau of Identification established

1924 Women’s Bureau established ,January

1942-45 One hundred and twenty-nine Atlanta police officers serve in WWII. Two are killed

By October 1949 African American police officers in Atlanta had two patrol cars.

In 1955 there were 15 African American police officers in Atlanta.

Women were first assigned to regular patrols on August 1st, 1957.

1959 Headquarters at Butler and Decatur streets completes and opened

Howard Baugh became the first African American superior officer in 1961.

1962 Black officers authorized to arrest Whites engaged in criminal activities; use of one-person patrol cars expanded

Willard Strickland stuck with the Atlanta Police Department until 1964 when he left to help the city of Decatur integrate their police department, becoming one of the two first African American police officers to patrol those streets.

1966 African-American officers assigned to regular patrols; crime prevention bureau established; Summerhill Riot ,September 6

In 1969 black and white officers started working together.

And finally, in 1971 Linnie Hollowman became the first African American female police officer, making Atlanta history.

1972 *Chief Jenkins retires.

1978 *Lee P. Brown appointed Commissioner of Public Safety, George Napper appointed Director of Police Services

Henry Hooks, Robert McKibbens and Ernest Lyons all retired in 1980 from the Atlanta Police Department.

1989 Red Dog Unit established ,June

1995 Chief Harvard opens a state-of-the-art citywide 911 communications center with the Atlanta Fire Department, increases initiatives for Community Policing Atlanta; and establishes and expands the juvenile section, domestic violence unit and gangs and guns task force; Atlanta population: 411,204

1997 In an effort to bring citizens closer to APD, the Department was the first Georgia law enforcement agency on the Internet.

1998 The Atlanta Police Department hosted its first Citizen’s Police Academy.

Ernest Lyons, who dreamed of being a police officer since he was a small child, died in 2000 at the age of 80.

2002 Chief Richard Pennington appointed as the Chief of Police by Mayor Shirley Franklin.

2003 The Atlanta Police Foundation is a non-profit, public/private partnership focused on advancing public safety in Atlanta.

2004 For the first time in 30 years zone and beat boundaries are revised, increasing city-wide beats from 56 to 66.

Launched in 2007, Operation Shield is an initiative of the Atlanta Police Foundation and the Atlanta Police Department to generate effective communication between the APD and both the public and private sectors.

2010 Chief George N. Turner is named Chief of Police by Mayor Kasim Reed.

2011 The City of Atlanta creates the Graffiti Task Force charging the APD with enforcing vandalism laws.

SPO Thomas was struck and killed by a drunk driver on January 24, 2012 when she was responding to a traffic accident at I-75 southbound, near the ramp to I-85 northbound.

2013 The Atlanta Police Department, for the first time in its history, receives State certification from the Georgia Association of Chiefs of Police.

2014 The Atlanta Police Department hosts first city-wide code enforcement training, introducing more than 100 attendees to property maintenance and residential code.

2015 The Atlanta Police Department launches a free mobile app available on both Apple and Android phones.