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.

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