City wins COPS grant to expand patrol unit

The U.S. Department of Justice has awarded a 2017 Community Oriented Policing Services Hiring Program grant to the city of Atlanta. It was among the recipients for a $1.875 million award, which will fund 15 additional Path Force officers over three years. The Path Force is a dedicated unit of the Atlanta Police Department that patrols the Atlanta BeltLine’s trails, as well as adjacent parks and neighborhoods.

The Path Force Unit has patrolled the Atlanta BeltLine’s open trails since 2013, when a $1.8 million COPS grant was announced to fund the unit’s launch.

In September, the Atlanta BeltLine officially opened the new three-mile Westside Trail in southwest Atlanta, significantly increasing the scope of Path Force patrols. Hiring 15 additional officers with funding from the 2017 grant greatly increases the capacity of the unit, allowing greater shift flexibility, enhanced data collection and analysis, and proactive place-based policing tactics.

Traffic on the Atlanta BeltLine’s Eastside Trail regularly exceeds 20,000 pedestrians and cyclists per week, with single events such as the Lantern Parade drawing crowds of more than 70,000. The newly opened Westside Trail travels primarily through residential neighborhoods, connecting four parks, four schools, and providing a commuting solution for safe routes to schools, jobs, housing and mass transit.

The Atlanta BeltLine’s Path Force uses community-oriented policing, collaborating with more than 30 partners including other government agencies, community groups, neighborhood associations and private businesses. Officers regularly interface with the public during events such as Police in the Park, the Atlanta BeltLine’s Play Day, and the Washington Park Jamboree, among many others.