Once a year, Atlanta city officials, law enforcement members and business leaders gather to honor Atlanta police officers who go above and beyond the call of duty.
“But their acts are 365 days a year,” interim Chief Darin Schierbaum said Tuesday at the Atlanta Police Foundation’s 18th annual Crime is Toast Awards breakfast. “Every day of the week, they are serving the citizens of our city. We saw some extraordinary actions honored today but the men and women of the police department are extraordinary every day.”
More than 20 Atlanta police sworn officers and civilian employees were recognized at the event.
“We ask a lot of the men and women in blue. They are the city’s first line of defense, and we must share in their commitment,” Mayor Andre Dickens said. “Our police officers consistently meet and exceed the high standards of performance.”
Officer David Rogers received the Purple Heart award after being shot six times and seriously injured in February while trying to arrest alleged gang member Christian Eppinger. Eppinger had been released from prison in May 2021 after serving four years behind bars. He was scheduled to serve six more years on probation, but authorities said he was involved in an Oct. 12 armed robbery for which police were attempting to arrest him during the February shooting.
Eppinger was charged with multiple counts including criminal attempt to commit murder and aggravated assault on an officer following Rogers’ shooting. Dickens said he went to Grady Memorial Hospital to be with Rogers after the shooting and the two remain in contact.
Credit: Steve Schaefer
Credit: Steve Schaefer
Detective Will Johnson received a medal of honor for returning fire and helping arrest Eppinger after Rogers was shot. Officers Kelsey Craddock and Theodore Travis were named officers of the year. Investigator Stephen O’Hare received the Investigator of the Year award for his work in the investigation of the death of 6-month old Grayson Matthew Fleming-Gray.
Schierbaum said every employee in the department is committed to serving and protecting the citizens of Atlanta with professionalism and pride. He said many of the officers in the department live within city limits and the department now reflects the community they serve. Roughly 55% of the police force are officers of color and 17% are women, he said.
“The effectiveness of any organization is centered on its culture. The culture of this department is to be constitutional, committed, confident and compassionate while we are serving all citizens of this great city,” he said. “Our culture is rooted in training.”
Schierbaum said APD recruits are required to train 35 weeks, which is 25 more weeks than the state requirement, before being assigned to a precinct, while veterans officers are constantly training as well.
Schierbaum touted the new Public Safety Training Center, currently being built near Gresham Park in east Atlanta, as a state-of-the-art facility, calling it the “most important public safety investment in our city in over 50 years”.
“None of the acts (recognized) today would have happened without police training,” he said. “What we do doesn’t come with the uniform, we have train realistically and repeatedly.”
He said the department has an aggressive hiring goal for new officers over the next three years and the training center will help attract and retain police officers.
“If you don’t train for those emergencies realistically and repeatedly, we are going to fail the citizens of this city,” Schierbaum said. “Police training, fire training is vital and the Public Safety Training Center is going to deliver that high level of training that we must have to stay trusted and proficient.”
Credit: Steve Schaefer
Credit: Steve Schaefer
Dickens acknowledged the project, which is being funded by the Atlanta Police Foundation, has faced its fair share of scrutiny since it was announced but said the city doesn’t have any other property large enough to be able to accommodate the facility. He said the facility will be able to provide the best training possible for first responders.
As part of the city’s summer public safety plan, the department announced an increased focus on gangs, guns and drugs. As of Tuesday, APD’s homicide count for the year is currently 128, which is four more than this point last year.
Schierbaum said crime against persons was reduced by 11% over the summer and credited the hard work of his police officers and a strategy to enhance police visibility across the city as the reason why.
“While today we are recognizing a select number from our team, every person who wears the badge, every civilian member of our department deserves a great deal of recognition and praise for the service they do for our great city,” Schierbaum said.
About the Author
