Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens has recently hired an official from the Atlanta Police Foundation to serve as a senior policy advisor for his administration.
The mayor’s office confirmed Wednesday afternoon that Karen Rogers will be supporting City Hall’s operations team and reporting to Chief Operating Officer Lisa Gordon. Rogers will be supporting a variety of areas, including public safety and housing.
Her new duties also include supporting the mayor’s new task force for The South River Forest and Public Safety Training Center Community, said the mayor’s office.
Rogers has served as the Atlanta Police Foundation’s director of development and community relations since 2016. Meanwhile, Atlanta is leasing forested land in DeKalb County to the APF for the $90 million construction of an 85-acre training center for police and firefighters.
The AFP, one of the most powerful police nonprofits nationwide, is footing more than 60% of the bill for the center’s creation.
Rogers is the second former AFP official to join the Dickens administration. In January, APF Chief Operating Officer Marshall Freeman became the deputy chief administrative officer for the Atlanta Police Department.
Protests against the facility have occurred across the nation after a 26-year-old environmental activist known as “Tortugita” was fatally shot by Georgia State Police during a police sweep of the area in January. Since then, protests have continued and have resulted in the destruction of public property twice.
Dickens has spent several weeks now trying to bolster the city’s communication about the impact of the center as opponents continue to criticize the city for committing to the project. His new task force, which is tasked with providing recommendations on the planned center and the surrounding green space, is hosting its first meeting Wednesday.
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