During nearly 40 years as a police officer, first with Atlanta and then with Fulton County, James "Red" Mulliford made it his highest priority to serve and protect his community. Just the same, he devoted nearly as much time and energy to making his community a better place to live.
James Milton Mulliford, 82, died Monday at his Sandy Springs home of colon cancer. His funeral is 2:30 p.m. today at the Sandy Springs Chapel with interment to follow at Arlington Memorial Park.
Mr. Mulliford, who rose to the rank of deputy chief during his 15 years with the Fulton police department, was commander of a North Fulton precinct. There he introduced what is commonly known now as “community policing,” assigning an officer whose sole duty was to connect with the community and encourage citizens' suggestions for making neighborhoods safer.
Judge Maurice Hilliard of the Municipal Court of Roswell called Mr. Mulliford a straight arrow, a policeman's policeman.
"Red stood up for his men," he said, "backing them up in the face of criticism, and then if they deserved it, bawling them out in private after their detractors had left."
Then-Capt. Mulliford's support for his officers was exemplified in a 1980 interview he gave to the Northside Neighbor newspaper, acknowledging a rise in residential burglaries in North Fulton. The police "were working their hearts out," he said in a public appeal to the Fulton County Commission to provide resources for an additional beat north of the Chattahoochee River.
Judge Hilliard said the fact that Mr. Mulliford, a public employee, became president of the Sandy Springs Chamber of Commerce, a businessman's group, speaks volumes about Mr. Mulliford's political skills and his commitment to the community's economic health.
"Red led the chamber during a time of rapid growth in North Fulton, when keeping it orderly was like herding cats," the judge said. "He made a point of establishing relationships with businesspeople new to the area and making them feel at home."
Mr. Mulliford was a past president of the Sandy Springs Rotary Club and actively involved in Sandy Springs Clean and Beautiful, Sandy Springs Historical Association and Sandy Springs Masonic Lodge.
In 1975, State Court Judge Charles Carnes began meeting with Mr. Mulliford and other community leaders at what became a three-decade tradition, a Saturday morning breakfast at which they brainstormed ideas for improving life in general in North Fulton. Judge Carnes served as unofficial chairman of the group and said Mr. Mulliford always sat right next to him.
“We started first at the Old Hickory House and then moved to the Landmark Diner in Buckhead,” Judge Carnes said. “Red was there every Saturday, and even after his health had diminished; he would have someone drive him there. He was that committed to making Fulton a better place to live.”
Former Atlanta Police Chief and current Clayton County Commission Chairman Eldrin Bell was one of the members of the breakfast club and worked with Mr. Mulliford when the latter was on the Atlanta force.
“Jim Mulliford and I grew up together in the Atlanta Police Department transitioning from a segregated department to an integrated department,” Mr. Bell said. “We worked in the same precinct. We knew everyone on our beat. Now they call it community policing, but every day we lived it.”
He said the two of them remained friends after retirement, attending those Saturday breakfasts to keep abreast of changes in the community.
Sam Massell, president of Buckhead Coalition, former mayor of Atlanta and another Saturday breakfast regular, said Mr. Mulliford was a no-nonsense cop who served Atlanta ably during his 24 years on the city's police force.
Mr. Massell revealed a little-known fact about Mr. Mulliford -- that during the 1950s he provided what the former mayor described as extraordinary security for Coca-Cola President Robert Woodruff and his Buckhead home, keeping watch from a room above the Woodruffs' garage.
Mr. Mulliford's assignment was authorized by William Hartsfield and Herbert Jenkins, the mayor and police chief at the time, Mr. Massell said. "Some might have questioned this special treatment," Mr. Massell said, "but I think the two of them were correct to ensure that Mr. Woodruff was safe."
Mr. Mulliford continued to work extra duty in addition to his regular police shifts, serving on the security staffs of three Georgia governors: Carl Sanders (1963-67), Jimmy Carter (1971-75) and Joe Frank Harris (1983-1991).
Survivors include his wife, Frances Mulliford; a daughter, Diane Williams of Acworth; a son, James "J.D." Mulliford of Cartersville and five grandchildren.
By J.E. GESHWILER, for the AJC
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