ATLANTA — When it comes to fixing broken relationships and mending trust within the community, for the Atlanta Police Department, part of that process includes the faith community.
Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum addressed the community inside Jackson Memorial Baptist Church, saying the news overshadows the norm. He said out of APD's three thousand calls a day, the tragedies stand out most.
"It is important for us to build these partnerships when there's not a crisis, so when there is a crisis, we have a faith community to assist us and navigate those waters," Schierbaum said. “The vast majority of the calls we go to are handled properly. When a life is lost and it was needlessly, we’re going to offer our sympathies to the family and make sure we’re a department that can retain that community trust.”
APD has been involved in several recent crises, including a deacon dying after he was tased during a traffic stop by an officer in August. Johnny Hollman's family has worked to try and bring officers' body cam video light. In another instance, an Atlanta Police officer was arrested earlier this month on sexual harassment charges stemming from a car crash response involving a 16-year-old driver. Both cases are still under investigation.
"The hope is the community knows the character of their police department, so when there is an incident that doesn't align with the police department they know, they understand it's a one off," Schierbaum said. "This was something that shouldn't have happened and the officer will be held accountable for that."
Representatives from the FBI, the Fulton County Sheriff's Office and Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens also addressed the crowd. The deputy from the sheriff's office referenced the work being done to reduce overcrowding. He said the Fulton County Jail had about 160 detainees staying on the floor, compared to around 500 in similar conditions six months ago. He mentioned that a couple hundred had been sent to Cobb County Jail, Forsyth County and the Atlanta City Detention Center.
Atlanta-based Reverend Markel Hutchins is the national leader of National Faith and Blue, an initiative launched to restore community policing outreach. It aims to use faith to help bridge rifts among law enforcement nationwide.
"This is not just about pleasantries. This is about saving lives," Hutchins said. "When those tragedies happen, the bonds will be fractured but not broken. We can figure out in every local community and circumstance how to get past that tragedy. But we can also learn from that tragedy so it doesn't happen again."
Hutchins said police cannot operate in communities they don't understand, which usually leads to tragic outcomes. He said rebuilding trust after tragedy starts with building relationships.
"The greatest degree of accountability is afforded by relationship," Hutchins said. "Faith and belief and confidence in one another is what ultimately allows accountability to turn into action."