National Model For Policing Alternatives And Diversion At Risk Of Defunding

Atlanta is often recognized as a leader in Black excellence and leadership and continues to enjoy status as a Black Mecca. But instead of keeping up the appearance of a caring community, city leaders should take action and prioritize a time-tested program that keeps our families and communities safe. Atlanta’s Policing Alternatives & Diversion Initiative (PAD) is a program that provides pre-arrest diversion services and needed resources to people in the community who are experiencing extreme poverty, substance abuse, or mental health crises. PAD plays a critical role in keeping people out of jail unnecessarily and is also a trusted asset that utilizes community-focused strategies to advance health and safety.

Nearly 10 years ago, before public safety became a national conversation, community leaders, legal system partners and elected officials in Atlanta built PAD as a national model for policing alternatives and diversion. Now, the initiative that received immense support and investments from the City of Atlanta is in jeopardy. As it currently stands, PAD will be forced to end its services on Jan. 1, 2025, despite serving about 6,300 people since 2017 alone while being around for the past seven years.

How does a heralded program like PAD go from being named one of seven models for nationwide law enforcement-assisted diversion to possibly closing its doors? Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens even likes to brag and take credit for such a successful program. How could it possibly be at risk?

Unfortunately, we are seeing our elected leaders stray from their outlined processes and instead choose chaos. PAD followed the city’s processes, went through all the paperwork, and was awarded the contract to become the official pre-arrest diversion program serving the city of Atlanta. Instead of operating from grants and individual donors, PAD would receive budgetary funding from the City, cementing its work in the community. The terms of the multi-year contract allowed PAD to continue providing mobile response to calls received by 311 or transferred out of 911, as well as provide mobile pre-arrest diversion.

Instead of receiving a simple vote from the Council to pass necessary funding for the contract, PAD faced months of delays, nearly forcing the organization to close its doors because it could not afford further operations. After calls were made by numerous civil rights organizations and community members — the city council approved month-to-month funding on Oct. 7 that keeps PAD operating through Dec. 31. While this wasn’t the full funding approval that was expected, it at least kept PAD’s doors open temporarily.

But the unexpected challenges, lack of transparency and disregard for process didn’t stop there. After the Atlanta City Council deviated from its own processes by delaying the vote, the Mayor’s office began a “special procurement” process – that was closed to the public – requesting a pre-arrest diversion contractor for the city of Atlanta. The Southern Center for Human Rights (SCHR) submitted an open records request to receive more information about the special procurement, and the records that SCHR received called the city’s actions further into question. The outlined scope of services in the special procurement was nearly identical to what PAD proposed in its winning bid. With nearly identical scopes, why is the special procurement process needed? Despite vague claims that the special process was necessary for the opening of the new Center for Diversion and Services in late October, the truth is that the center’s opening was already contemplated in PAD’s original proposal and award from the city. In fact, PAD was always expected to work in step with the new diversion center. It seems the city is, once again, skirting its own processes and choosing chaos over community.

Processes aside, let’s talk dollars and cents. The per day cost of housing someone in Fulton County custody is somewhere between $78 and $97. If someone spends 10 days in custody for an otherwise divertible offense, the cost is then between $780 and $970 to the taxpayers. Not to mention spending 10 days in jail is likely to cause other ripple effects, which include loss of employment and, consequently, loss of stable housing. In our 2022 report, “There are Better Solutions,” the ACLU of Georgia analyzed the population of the Fulton County Jail and provided various recommendations to alleviate overcrowding, systemic burdens, and personal upheaval. PAD was a large part of the recommendations offered to the City of Atlanta, and it remains relevant two years later.

With so much uncertainty looming nationally, local officials in Atlanta have the opportunity to do what is right for the safety and well-being of their residents. The deplorable conditions of the Fulton County Jail are no secret. Just last week, the United States Department of Justice released a report finding that the jail’s conditions are unconstitutional and illegal. It is also no secret that as much as 30% of bookings in Atlanta jails are for crimes associated with homelessness and poverty. By funding PAD, the Atlanta City Council can make our communities safer, healthier, and more just. Local organizations like Women on the Rise GA have also done the work to lessen the population in the jail by providing service to the women inside while Executive Director– Robyn Hasan-Simpson is a chair on the county’s Justice Review Vision Board.

The presidential election may be over, but many of the council members who have the final say on PAD’s future in Atlanta will be seeking re-election in municipal races next year. Constituents will remember which candidates showed up for them – which ones chose community. Their votes to fund PAD could be the deciding factor in our votes for their seats. We implore the Atlanta City Council to vote for funding for PAD.

Dominique Grant, MBA, is the current Campaign and Operations Manager for Women on the Rise GA, a nonprofit organization devoted to elevating the voices of justice-affected women.

SEE ALSO:

The ‘Mecca’ Is A Mirage: Police Brutality Shows Atlanta Is A Tale Of Two Cities For Black People

Cop City: What We Know About Atlanta’s Controversial Police Training Center Project