1.               PURPOSE

 

This directive establishes duties regarding coordination with adjoining law enforcement agencies and with other criminal justice, public safety, and traffic agencies.

 

2.               POLICY

 

Coordination with other agencies is critical to the effective operation of the Department.  The Chief of Police reserves the right to decide policy concerning other agencies.  However, other police managers and employees should promote cooperation with other agencies in the interest of serving and protecting the public.

 

3.               RESPONSIBILITIES

 

3.1              Liaison with Other Law Enforcement Agencies

 

3.1.1           The Assistant Chief of Police and division commanders will maintain liaison and meet as needed with representatives of other local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies to discuss policy and coordination.

 

1.    Zone commanders will maintain liaison with local law enforcement agencies with adjoining jurisdiction.

 

2.    Section and unit commanders will meet with and coordinate their efforts with these agencies, within their respective spheres of responsibility.

 

3.1.2           The FOD commander will meet at least annually with the MARTA, Georgia Tech, and Georgia State University police.

 

3.1.3           The CID commander will meet at least annually with the FBI, GBI, and the investigative commanders of Clayton, Cobb, DeKalb, Fulton, and Gwinnett Counties.

 

3.2              Liaison with Other Criminal Justice Agencies

 

3.2.1           The division commanders will maintain liaison and meet as needed with representatives of the courts and corrections agencies which receive Atlanta's arrestees.  The CID and ID Unit commanders will meet at least semiannually with the judges and prosecutors to coordinate and improve the Department’s role in prosecutions.

 

3.2.2           The FOD commander will provide formal liaison with the courts regarding attendance of officers and adequacy of case preparation.  The FOD commander will meet at least annually with representatives of probation, prison, parole and juvenile corrections agencies to coordinate and improve the flow of information and any other interagency matters.

 

3.2.3           Criminal Investigations and Field Operations commanders or designees will meet at least annually with representatives of the local juvenile courts to coordinate and improve the Department’s handling of juveniles.

 

3.2.4           The Zone 6 commander will meet at least annually with representatives of the DeKalb County courts and prosecutors.

 

3.2.5           The Airport commander will meet at least annually with representatives of Clayton County courts, prosecutors, and law enforcement agencies.

 

3.3              Liaison with Other Public Safety Agencies

 

3.3.1           The Chief of Police will meet regularly with the executives of the City's fire and emergency management services.  The division, section, and unit commanders will meet with appropriate representatives of these agencies and coordinate their efforts within their spheres of responsibility.

 

3.3.2           The FOD commander will provide liaison with representatives of emergency medical services.

 

3.4              Liaison with Traffic Agencies

 

3.4.1           The Traffic Unit commander will meet at least annually with the Governor's Office of Highway Safety and the City Bureau of Traffic and Transportation to coordinate traffic safety issues.

 

3.4.2           The Traffic Unit commander will meet at least annually with the Bureau of Traffic and Transportation to provide liaison in transportation system management planning. The commander will meet as needed with regional and state agencies involved with transportation planning.

 

4.               ACTION

 

4.1              Joint Jurisdiction

 

4.1.1           Fulton and DeKalb County police (within their respective counties), Fulton and DeKalb County Sheriff's deputies, State Patrol troopers, and GBI agents have police powers within the City equivalent to those of the Department.  However, the Department assumes primary responsibility within the City unless the Chief of Police enters into an agreement in which primary responsibility for certain police actions are shared with or transferred to other agencies.

 

4.1.2           Other police agencies that exercise limited jurisdiction within the City include:

 

1.    Federal

 

a.    The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)

b.    The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF)

c.    The Postal Inspection Service

d.    The Office of Federal Protection and Safety

e.    The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)

f.     The National Park Police (King Memorial)

g.    The U. S. Marshal Service

h.    The Office of Homeland Security

i.     The Army-Military Police (Fort McPherson)

 

2.   State and other local

 

a.    Georgia Building Authority Police

b.    Fulton and DeKalb County Marshals Office

c.    Georgia Dome Police

d.    Georgia World Congress Center Police

e.    Fulton County Medical Examiner's Office

f.     DeKalb County's Coroner's Office

g.    Arson Investigator's Office

 

3.    Railroad police also share jurisdiction with the Atlanta Police Department.  Railroad police exercise primary police responsibility on their respective trains, stations, and track areas. Railroad officers have the power to impound vehicles that are parked on the rail road right of way. The Department assumes primary police responsibility outside these areas and for cases of homicide, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, suicide and other major crimes in which the agency with primary police responsibility requests assistance.

 

a.    The CSX Railroad police are responsible for the Seaboard Coastline, the Georgia Railroad, the West Point Railroad, the Atlanta Railroad, the Western Railroad, and the Louisville and Nashville Railroad.  The CSX railroad officers use Atlanta Police Department incident reports; however, they do not use the State's Uniform Accident Reports.

 

b.    The Norfolk-Southern Railway police are responsible for the Central Georgia Railroad.  They use their own reporting system.

 

4.    MARTA has joint responsibility with the Department for providing police services on MARTA property.  MARTA officers exercise primary police responsibility on MARTA trains, stations, buses and fenced-in track areas.  The Department assumes primary police responsibility outside these areas and in cases of homicide, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, suicide, and other major crimes in which MARTA requests assistance.

 

5.    Georgia Tech, Georgia State, and the Atlanta University Center police have joint responsibility with the Department for providing police services on their property and on any property within 500 yards of their property (Ga. Code 20-8-2 & 20-8-3).  However, these campus police agencies exercise primary responsibility only in the respective areas owned by the universities.  The Department exercises primary responsibility outside these areas.

 

4.1.3           Arrest Responsibilities

 

1.    When an arrest or other police action is necessary within the City but within another agency's area of primary responsibility, a Department officer will perform the arrest or action if:

 

a.    He or she is the first officer on the scene, and

 

b.    No officer from the agency with primary responsibility is present. The arrestee will be processed like any other City arrestee.

 

2.    The arresting agency is responsible for transporting the prisoner, collecting evidence, investigating further, and presenting the case in court, except that the Department will investigate certain major crimes in other agencies' jurisdiction.  However, for arrests and incidents on Atlanta University campus property, a responding Department officer must complete an incident report, if needed, complete the arrest citation if an arrest is involved and transport the prisoner to the appropriate jail.

 

4.1.4           MARTA Crowd Control

 

Crowd control on MARTA property is a shared function of MARTA police and the Department.  When MARTA requests the Department's assistance, the ranking Department officer will be in charge of the situation for which assistance was requested.

 

4.2              Reporting

 

4.2.1           Division, section, and unit commanders will report to the Chief of Police on their meetings with other agencies.  They will forward these written reports through the chain of command.

 

4.2.2           Employees will immediately refer up the chain of command:

 

1.    Interagency problems which cannot be resolved at the employee's level;

 

2.    Interagency problems which are outside the employee’s area of responsibility; and

 

3.    Suggestions for improving interagency coordination which are outside the employee's area of responsibility.

 

4.2.3           Agreements made by the Chief of Police and reports from division, section and unit commanders that are forwarded to the Chief of Police will be maintained on file by the Office of the Chief of Police.

 

5.               DEFINITIONS

 

                  N/A

 

6.               CANCELLATIONS

 

                  APD.SOP.1070 “Coordination with Outside Agencies,” effective January 2, 2006

 

7.               REFERENCES

 

                  Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA), 5^th ed. standards 2.1.2,

                  61.3.6