DeKalb County Police Department
Encyclopedia
The DeKalb County Police Department (DKPD) is the primary law enforcement agency for unincorporated DeKalb County, Georgia
. The department serves a population of more than 730,000 people. The Chief is William O'Brien. The DeKalb County Public Safety Director is William "Wiz" Miller, a former DKPD officer.
In the early years the department had only a handful of officers. Hiring was sporadic, there was no chief, and officers worked out of the DeKalb County Solicitor's Office.
From the department's inception until the end of prohibition
in 1933, a DeKalb County Police officer's primary responsibility was to apprehend bootleggers
. Officers Samuel Gentry, Lewell Henderson, Miles Phillips, and Charles Wright were all killed in incidents involving suspected bootleggers.
At the beginning of the 1940s, DeKalb had just 20 police officers. In 1947, the department commenced a period of rapid growth with the introduction of two-way car radios. The radios afforded officers greater mobility and increased their effectiveness, allowing the department to increase its ranks.
By 1968, the department had a force of approximately 200 officers. In 1972, the DeKalb Police moved into a newly-built public safety complex on Camp Circle in Decatur
. The department would remain at this location for more than thirty years. The location is still the home to several units within the police department.
In 2006 the DeKalb County Police department moved to its current headquarters at 1960 W. Exchange Place in Tucker
.
As metropolitan Atlanta grew, so did the DeKalb County Police Department. In the last forty years, DKPD has expanded from 200 officers to its current staff of 1,112 sworn officers and 498 support staff (as of 2011) making it the second largest police department in Georgia.
The murder of Officer William David Corn on February 1, 1972 is the agency's only unsolved police murder.
Traffic Specialist Unit (TSU): Responsible for investigating traffic fatalities and hit-and-runs.
SWAT
Team: Responsible for serving high-risk warrants, performing hostage rescues, and defusing other high-risk situations. The department maintains a full-time SWAT team which is augmented by part-time members who serve in other positions throughout the department.
S.T.A.R. Team: The S.T.A.R. (Strategic Traffic Accident Reduction) Team is responsible for providing specialized enforcement of Driving Under the Influence (DUI
), Aggressive Driving, and Speeding laws.
CVE Unit: The Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Unit is responsible for providing specialized and focused enforcement of all federal and state laws and regulations regarding commercial vehicles.
Aerial Support Unit: The Aerial Support Unit operates two Eurocopter AS-350 B-2 helicopters. Both helicopters are equipped with FLIR, Forward Looking Infrared cameras that allow the flight crew to locate individuals in total darkness. The helicopters are also equipped with 30 million candlepower spotlights and Lojack
systems for locating stolen vehicles. The Aerial Support Unit is the only law enforcement unit in the southeast with chemical monitoring capability.
hired Terrell Bolton to serve as chief of police. Bolton had previously been the chief of the Dallas Police Department
, and was terminated by that agency in 2003.
Bolton's tenure with the DeKalb Police was fraught with controversy. The chief was accused of taking unauthorized comp. time and misusing luxury vehicles seized by the department. In February 2009, under mounting pressure from the media, the public, and officers within the department, newly-elected county CEO Burrell Ellis placed Bolton on administrative leave. Bolton was terminated shortly after being placed on leave. In a letter sent to Bolton, Ellis outlined his reasons for terminating the chief. The letter provided examples of Bolton's insubordination, misuse of county property, and conduct unbecoming an officer. Major William O'Brien, a 24-year veteran of the department, was named acting chief after Bolton was placed on administrative leave.
Bolton appealed his termination, and an employment hearing was held in June 2009. The hearing was expected to end on June 11, but was continued to July 15, 2009. On August 17, 2009, Hearing Officer Phyllis Williams released a ruling which upheld Bolton's termination.
(CALEA) since 1991.
10 other officers that served in cities of Dekalb have also been killed in the line of duty, making the total number of officers fallen in Dekalb county 39, since 1852.
DeKalb County, Georgia
DeKalb County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. The population of the county was 691,893 at the 2010 census. Its county seat is the city of Decatur. It is bordered to the west by Fulton County and contains roughly 10% of the city of Atlanta...
. The department serves a population of more than 730,000 people. The Chief is William O'Brien. The DeKalb County Public Safety Director is William "Wiz" Miller, a former DKPD officer.
History
The DeKalb County Police Department was founded on December 18, 1915. On two occasions, in 1923 and 1931, the department was eliminated, as the county commissioners felt that the department was not serving the best interests of the public. In both cases the department was quickly reinstated.In the early years the department had only a handful of officers. Hiring was sporadic, there was no chief, and officers worked out of the DeKalb County Solicitor's Office.
From the department's inception until the end of prohibition
Prohibition
Prohibition of alcohol, often referred to simply as prohibition, is the practice of prohibiting the manufacture, transportation, import, export, sale, and consumption of alcohol and alcoholic beverages. The term can also apply to the periods in the histories of the countries during which the...
in 1933, a DeKalb County Police officer's primary responsibility was to apprehend bootleggers
Rum-running
Rum-running, also known as bootlegging, is the illegal business of transporting alcoholic beverages where such transportation is forbidden by law...
. Officers Samuel Gentry, Lewell Henderson, Miles Phillips, and Charles Wright were all killed in incidents involving suspected bootleggers.
At the beginning of the 1940s, DeKalb had just 20 police officers. In 1947, the department commenced a period of rapid growth with the introduction of two-way car radios. The radios afforded officers greater mobility and increased their effectiveness, allowing the department to increase its ranks.
By 1968, the department had a force of approximately 200 officers. In 1972, the DeKalb Police moved into a newly-built public safety complex on Camp Circle in Decatur
Decatur, Georgia
Decatur is a city in, and county seat of, DeKalb County, Georgia, United States. With a population of 19,335 in the 2010 census, the city is sometimes assumed to be larger since multiple zip codes in unincorporated DeKalb County bear the Decatur name...
. The department would remain at this location for more than thirty years. The location is still the home to several units within the police department.
In 2006 the DeKalb County Police department moved to its current headquarters at 1960 W. Exchange Place in Tucker
Tucker, Georgia
Tucker is a census-designated place in DeKalb County, Georgia, United States. The population was 27,581 at the 2010 Census. Although central Tucker, also known as "Main Street Tucker", is laid out as a planned "railroad town," it has never been formally incorporated. Municipal services such as...
.
As metropolitan Atlanta grew, so did the DeKalb County Police Department. In the last forty years, DKPD has expanded from 200 officers to its current staff of 1,112 sworn officers and 498 support staff (as of 2011) making it the second largest police department in Georgia.
The murder of Officer William David Corn on February 1, 1972 is the agency's only unsolved police murder.
Specialized Units
The following is a partial list of specialized units within the department:Traffic Specialist Unit (TSU): Responsible for investigating traffic fatalities and hit-and-runs.
SWAT
SWAT
A SWAT team is an elite tactical unit in various national law enforcement departments. They are trained to perform high-risk operations that fall outside of the abilities of regular officers...
Team: Responsible for serving high-risk warrants, performing hostage rescues, and defusing other high-risk situations. The department maintains a full-time SWAT team which is augmented by part-time members who serve in other positions throughout the department.
S.T.A.R. Team: The S.T.A.R. (Strategic Traffic Accident Reduction) Team is responsible for providing specialized enforcement of Driving Under the Influence (DUI
DUI
DUI is a three letter acronym that may stand for:* Driving under the influence * Democratic Union for Integration — the largest ethnic Albanian party in the Republic of Macedonia* Data Use Identifier...
), Aggressive Driving, and Speeding laws.
CVE Unit: The Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Unit is responsible for providing specialized and focused enforcement of all federal and state laws and regulations regarding commercial vehicles.
Aerial Support Unit: The Aerial Support Unit operates two Eurocopter AS-350 B-2 helicopters. Both helicopters are equipped with FLIR, Forward Looking Infrared cameras that allow the flight crew to locate individuals in total darkness. The helicopters are also equipped with 30 million candlepower spotlights and Lojack
LoJack
The LoJack Stolen Vehicle Recovery System is an aftermarket vehicle tracking system that allows vehicles to be tracked by police, with the aim of recovering them in case of theft. The manufacturer claims a 90% recovery rate...
systems for locating stolen vehicles. The Aerial Support Unit is the only law enforcement unit in the southeast with chemical monitoring capability.
Community Policing
Under former Chief Terrell Bolton, the department created an Interactive Community Policing unit (ICP). Each precinct has a sergeant and several police officers who work to "build and maintain partnerships with the community, business owners and other law enforcement agencies." The ICP unit also seeks to "work together with residents to reduce crime, the fear of crime and improve the quality of life in DeKalb County."Precincts
The Department operates six precincts:- North Precinct, 4453 Ashford-Dunwoody Rd. Dunwoody, Georgia 30346
- Center Precinct, 1960 W. Exchange Pl. Tucker, Georgia 30084
- South Precinct, 1816 Candler Rd. Decatur, Georgia 30032
- East Precinct, 2484 Bruce St. Lithonia, Georgia 30058
- Tucker Precinct, 4451 Lawrenceville Hwy. Tucker, Georgia 30084
- Flakes Mill Precinct, 4540 Flakes Mill Rd. Ellenwood, Georgia 30294
Bolton controversy
In late 2006, then-county CEO Vernon JonesVernon Jones
Vernon Jones is an American Democratic politician from Georgia who served as chief executive officer of Dekalb County, Georgia, from 2001 until 2009.-Early life and business career:...
hired Terrell Bolton to serve as chief of police. Bolton had previously been the chief of the Dallas Police Department
Dallas Police Department
The Dallas Police Department, established in 1881, is the principal law enforcement agency serving the city of Dallas, Texas.-Organization:The department is headed by a chief of police who is appointed by the city manager who, in turn, is hired by the Dallas City Council...
, and was terminated by that agency in 2003.
Bolton's tenure with the DeKalb Police was fraught with controversy. The chief was accused of taking unauthorized comp. time and misusing luxury vehicles seized by the department. In February 2009, under mounting pressure from the media, the public, and officers within the department, newly-elected county CEO Burrell Ellis placed Bolton on administrative leave. Bolton was terminated shortly after being placed on leave. In a letter sent to Bolton, Ellis outlined his reasons for terminating the chief. The letter provided examples of Bolton's insubordination, misuse of county property, and conduct unbecoming an officer. Major William O'Brien, a 24-year veteran of the department, was named acting chief after Bolton was placed on administrative leave.
Bolton appealed his termination, and an employment hearing was held in June 2009. The hearing was expected to end on June 11, but was continued to July 15, 2009. On August 17, 2009, Hearing Officer Phyllis Williams released a ruling which upheld Bolton's termination.
Accreditation
The DeKalb County Police Department has been accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement AgenciesCommission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies
The Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc., is a credentialing authority , based in the United States, whose primary mission is to accredited public safety agencies, namely law enforcement agencies, training academies, communications centers, and campus public safety...
(CALEA) since 1991.
Fallen officers
29 DeKalb County Police officers have been killed in the line of duty- Officer John Wesley Webb, EOW: March 16, 1919
- Officer Samuel D. Gentry, EOW: April 8, 1925
- Officer Lewell S. Henderson, EOW: August 12, 1927
- Officer Miles Henry Phillips, EOW: August 12, 1927
- Officer Charles Linton Phillips, EOW: October 7, 1932
- Officer Edwin Cecil Garrison, EOW: September 20, 1946
- Officer Charles Willis Wright, EOW: December 22, 1948
- Officer Wilford Eugene Johnson, EOW: September 7, 1952
- Lieutenant James Charles Nix, EOW: September 7, 1952
- Officer James Lonnie Mize, EOW: February 6, 1954
- Officer Johnny Farrell Puckett Sr. EOW: July 16, 1966
- Detective Guy Fredrick Jones, EOW: June 5, 1968
- Officer Charles Richard Norred, EOW: September 8, 1971
- Officer William David Corn, EOW: February 1, 1972
- Officer Donald Lee Mitchell, EOW: July 2, 1972
- Officer Larry Eugene Quinn, EOW: February 4, 1973
- Officer Thomas Stanhope Atkisson, EOW: December 14, 1976
- Officer Robert Keith Hawkins, EOW: February 7, 1980
- Officer Tommy Richard Gober Jr. EOW: June 28, 1980
- Officer Wyndall T. Davis, EOW: December 3, 1981
- Officer Wade C. Barrett Jr. EOW: April 7, 1991
- Officer Richard Lee Teague, EOW: November 23, 1992
- Officer Ricardo J. Torres, EOW: September 13, 1998
- Officer Jarvis Darren Crumley, EOW: December 29, 1998
- Captain and DeKalb County Sheriff-Elect Derwin BrownDerwin BrownDerwin Brown was a police captain and the sheriff-elect of DeKalb County, Georgia, United States, who was assassinated on the evening of December 15, 2000.-Early life:...
, EOW: December 16, 2000 - Officer Ann Marie Guinta, EOW: July 20, 2002
- Detective Dennis Carmen Stepnowski, EOW: June 29, 2006
- Officer Eric Cecil Barker Sr. EOW: January 16, 2008
- Officer Ricky L. Bryant Jr. EOW: January 16, 2008
10 other officers that served in cities of Dekalb have also been killed in the line of duty, making the total number of officers fallen in Dekalb county 39, since 1852.