I attended the press conference this morning where Mayor-elect Kasim Reed announced his choice for a new acting Chief of Police: George Turner. Below are some notes and the questions/answers from the media. Reed first introduced Turner and then he spoke. From his intro, I learned the following….

• George Turner will be acting Chief of Police effective January 4, 2010 (when Reed starts).
• Turner was born and raised in Atlanta (a “Grady baby”).
• For first 9 years of his life he lived in Perry Homes, which was one of the first housing projects in Atlanta.
• Turner joined the APD in 1981 and has spent 3 decades on the force.
• During his tenure he rose to Support Service Division Chief, managed 164 million of the department’s budget, commanded the Human Resources Recruitment Unit, and commanded Zone 1 (Buckhead n’ such). According to Reed, Turner oversaw a 17% reduction of crime in that zone during his time.

Reed said he’s directed Turner to focus on the following priorities:

• gangs
• new officers
• morale
• meeting daily with command staff and officers

George Turner then came up, said thanks, and answered a few questions. His answers are after the jump.

Question (addressed to Reed): You’ve said Public Safety is your top concern so, if so, why’d you name an acting chief so soon?

Stability is vital so while I prepare to do a national search for a permanent replacement, I didn’t want to waste a second. There should be no vacuum in safety when crime is the #1 issue facing Atlanta. It’s healthy for the APD to have an acting lead, and soon.

Do you have a target date for hiring the new, permanent Chief of Police?

Yes, it will happen within the first 120 days of my administration.

Is George Turner on the list?

Yes, he can compete for the position.

(To Turner) Will you?

Yes.

(Staying with Turner) In taking over the department, what do you think needs to be done?

First, will aggressively fight crime. Second, it will be by starting to address the morale issue within the force. We will be going through the promotions list and seeking out new leaders.

Our 911 system has huge issues – what are you going to do?

I will focus on three areas. One, staffing. We currently have all positions filled and we’ll be looking to fully train all of them and keep it permanently staffed. Two, we will address the technological issues. I will work with Dan Smith (Head of I.T.?) to address these issues. And lastly, I will address the leadership concerns. Miles Butler was let go and there is currently no replacement. We are conducting a national search right now for a new leader.

You have a lot of Atlanta roots… how does this uniquely qualify you for the position?

Because I have built a lot of relationships and I know the city.

The current Chief of Police, Richard Pennington, had a lot of visibility concerns… what will you do differently?

I am a very transparent person and I will be out in front. In a training session yesterday, we asked officers what was the #1 thing you wanted in a new chief? The answer was “accessibility.” I will be accessible.

We’ve seen many police chiefs over the years and they’ve all talked about the morale issue within the department. This seems to ebb and flow and is always an issue. What will you do to address it?

Many of the morale issues are linked to dire financials which is not just unique to Atlanta. I’ve been given a strong commitment by the mayor-elect to address officer’s pay. They’re leaving because you can make more in a neighboring county or district. So we will focus on keeping officers within the APD by fixing the back end of the department.

Kasim Reed steps up and says he has directed Peter Aman, the new COO, to find 5 million dollars in new revenue to restore step increases for officers (a 3% pay raise for each step).

Many Atlanta residents feel crime has gotten worse when crime stats are actually down. How will you address this perception in the neighborhoods?

Crime is down 13% overall but perception is different. I will emphasize partnering with communities, being out front on crime, and being transparent.

I then overheard a reporter talking with Sgt. Scott Kreher. He said that Turner was “a good man for the job.” He said “he actually knows where zone precincts are” (as opposed to the current chief) so he will be on the streets at crime scenes when necessary.

The press conference then ended.