Alpharetta Police Chief Addresses How Department Trains, Values

ALPHARETTA, GA — Alpharetta Department of Public Safety Chief John Robison published a blog post explaining how his department trains, and what values department leaders seek in officers.

"I, like our officers, was horrified when viewing the video involving the death of George Floyd," Robison wrote. "Excessive, or improper use of force of any kind by police officers cannot be tolerated…….. period. It is completely understandable and appropriate for citizens across our country to be deeply troubled over events like this. However, I cannot comprehend responses to such deplorable incidents that include violence and damaging property. What I can appreciate is some of the excellent questions I have received this week related to our department’s approach to deescalation training."

The Alpharetta Department of Public Safety has three values they strive to incorporate as a part of its DNA, he said. Officers are challenged to adhere to these values when carrying out their duties regardless of the circumstances. Those values are:

• Courageous spirit: The risks of the job are real - persevere in the face of adversity.
• Selfless service: Put the welfare of the public and the team above all. Add value to others.
• Excellence with integrity: Do what is right and do it well.

"I can assure you that our number one goal in any interaction we have with citizens is the prioritization of life," Robison said. "We value the lives of citizens and officers above any other departmental priorities. We utilize the P-R-I-D-E Adaptive Decision-Making Model as a foundation for all of our training. There are four areas of prioritization that are the foundation for police officer decision-making: priority of life, priority of stabilization, priority of time, priority of apprehension. As you can see, the number one emphasis in our decision-making model is the priority of life. "

As far as specific training related to deescalation, the state mandates that every sworn officer completes deescalation training annually as a part of a Governor’s Initiative, Robison said. The course used is a Georgia Peace Officer Standards and Training Council approved class that was developed by the Georgia Public Safety Training Center. As an additional part of the Governor’s Initiative, every sworn officer also completes Community Policing Training. This helps train officers to utilize the tools necessary to establish rapport and build relationships within the community, he said.

"Those relationships work toward building the necessary foundation needed for the implementation of deescalation techniques," Robison said. "We as a department go well above and beyond the state's deescalation training requirements. Each year, we conduct a great deal of scenario-based training that helps ensure officers work effectively in their role as a law enforcement officer. We intentionally have deescalation training built into most of these scenarios to ensure these concepts are reinforced consistently and effectively. Ultimately, we have extremely high expectations regarding how our officers handle any interaction with citizens, and our training reflects those expectations."

Said Robison: "I always want to ensure our fantastic citizens can feel free to reach out to me directly to answer any questions or discuss any concerns. My email address is jrobison@alpharetta.ga.us and my phone number is 678-297-6342."

This comes after a weekend full of threats on social media of rioting at Avalon, and comments made threatening to bring violence and looting to the suburbs of Atlanta.

On Saturday, following protests in Atlanta and Buckhead, Robison said there was a possibility of violent protests and looting coming to Alpharetta that night, and then again on Sunday. Officers prepared for the potential protests, and the businesses at Avalon all decided to close early in response. Restaurants at Avalon remained open for the most part, and police officers changed all traffic to exit-only, with an officer and barricades at each exit.

On Sunday morning, Robison said the department received multiple reports Saturday night that groups of people were heading to Alpharetta to carry out protest, threats, or both.

"We saw reports of incidents in Gwinnett County and Gainesville as we stayed vigilant," he said Sunday. "We worked with several partners throughout the night including Avalon, the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office, GBI, and numerous agencies around the metro area providing information and support in an area wide mutual aid system. This collaboration was critical in the overall peaceful outcome of the night in Alpharetta, and we greatly appreciate our partners. We know that not every area went without incident and our thoughts are with those communities. We are ready, willing, and able to assist our friends in the future if needed."

Related:

• Kemp Orders Statewide State Of Emergency, Atlanta Under Curfew
• John Lewis Calls For Peaceful Protests After 70 Atlanta Arrests
• Truck Speeds Through Protest; Fires Snap Across From White House