APD homicide keeping up with a huge caseload, despite being down several detectives

ATLANTA — Atlanta homicide detectives say they are keeping up with a huge caseload, despite being down several detectives.

A rise in the murder rate across metro Atlanta combined with worker shortages at police departments has made for a tough years for detectives, who spoke to Channel 2′s Lori Wilson about the challenges they’ve faced.

“So it’s been about since September since I’ve had a fully day off,” Atlanta Police Lieutenant Ralph Woolfolk said.

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If Woolfolk looks familiar, it’s because he’s responded to almost every homicide in the city since he took over the department in August. He said his dedication is shared by every member of his team.

“When they catch a case, it’s full on. It’s non-stop to make sure that we are driving these cases forward in the right direction,” Woolfolk said.

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APD homicide is currently down six detectives. Woolfolk said the department is keeping up with the caseload three ways including using dedicated case coaches to help new hires.

“2019 was my first full year here,” Det. Savannah Berry said. “We had 99 cases.”

Det. Jarion Shephard said that by having case coaches work with newer detectives, cases get solved more quickly.

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“It helps when you have more experience to come in and start kind of to guide them in the right direction,” Shephard said.

APD is also streamlining their process by reviewing open cases every 7, 14, 30 and 60 days and deciding as a team when to bring in more resources.

Detective Bill Hogan said that sometimes it can be hard to separate the things they see at work from their personal lives.

“We see some brutal things,” Hogan said.

Woolfolk said it’s important to keep an open dialogue with officers about how they are coping.

“You know, from a health and wellness standpoint, it’s important for us to monitor all of our detectives and make sure that we’re managing what they’re seeing in and out,” Woolfolk said. “They’re dealing with this stuff day-to-day.”

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