ATLANTA — At Monday’s meeting, the Atlanta City Council approved a $5 million, two-year contract with Policing Alternatives and Diversion Services.
The contract starts on Jan. 1, 2025.
According to the ordinance that contained the new agreement, Atlanta has engaged in a pre-arrest diversion initiative along with Fulton County since 2015.
The Council said the pre-arrest service allows the Atlanta Police Department to “offer consent-based and individually tailored social services instead of making an arrest,” which lets APD officers “divert vulnerable Atlantans away from immediate arrest and incarceration.”
“It has been shown that arresting and jailing individuals committing offenses related to unmet mental health needs, problematic substance use, extreme poverty and other health and wellness issues (“vulnerable Atlantans”) have limited effectiveness in advancing public safety and quality of life,” according to the ordinance.
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By diverting the vulnerable instead of putting them in jail, Atlanta officials say it allows officers to more efficiently return to other law enforcement duties.
In 2017, the Atlanta City Council entered an agreement with Fulton County District Attorney, the Fulton County Solicitor, the Fulton County Public Defender’s Office, and the Atlanta/ Fulton County Pre-Arrest Diversion Initiative, Inc. dba Policing Alternatives & Diversion Initiative to create the Pre-Arrest Diversion Initiative Operational Working Group.
The council approved funding for a one-year term of $1.95 million along with three single-year renewal options, which was approved for a final renewal on June 5, 2023 and ended on June 30.
On Monday, City Council members approved a new two-year agreement for no more than $5 million, along with two-year renewal options at the city’s discretion, to continue providing PAD services to the city.
While some public safety officials speaking at the meeting expressed concerns about the program’s achievements versus costs, the program was still renewed. The approval came after a lengthy discussion with members of PAD and other city staff, before council members took their vote.
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