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Mayor Kasim Reed Hosts Police Chief Town Hall Meeting
Atlanta Residents to Hear Directly from Three Finalists for Chief of Police
Mayor Kasim Reed will host a Town Hall Meeting at 6 p.m. on Thursday, June 3, 2010 at the Atlanta Civic Center to introduce the three finalists for Chief of Police to Atlanta residents, business owners and community leaders. The Town Hall Meeting is open to the public and will feature a Q & A session.
The emcees for the evening are Bill Nigut, Southeast Regional Director of the Anti-Defamation League and a former WSB reporter, and Deidra Dukes, Fox 5 reporter and weekend anchor.
“I have no higher priority than to keep the citizens of the City of Atlanta safe,” said Mayor Reed. “The foundation of my campaign for Mayor of Atlanta was built on a promise to attack crime in this City. The foundation of my administration is the fulfillment of that promise.”
“The next Atlanta Chief of Police will be my primary partner in honoring this commitment. This Town Hall Meeting, which will allow the community to have an open dialogue with the police chief candidates, is a vital step in ensuring we select the right person for this role,” Mayor Reed added.
The three finalists selected by Mayor Reed for Atlanta Police Chief are: Dr. Cedric L. Alexander, Federal Security Director for the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport; George N. Turner, City of Atlanta Interim Police Chief; and Robert Crump White, City of Louisville Police Chief. This slate of finalists is the result of a three-month national search conducted on the City’s behalf by an appointed search committee. Mayor Reed is expected to announce his choice for the Atlanta Chief of Police in the next few weeks.
The Town Hall meeting will begin at 6 p.m. sharp with a brief welcome from Mayor Reed, who will introduce the emcees, Deidra Dukes and Bill Nigut. The three police chief candidates will then give a brief overview of their qualifications and answer a round of questions posed by Dukes and Nigut.
Next, the candidates will be asked to respond to questions sent via e-mail by residents who could not personally attend the town hall meeting. Residents have up until 3 p.m. Thursday, June 3, 2010 to email their questions to mayorreed@atlantaga.gov for possible inclusion in the Town Hall Meeting Q&A session. Please sign your name and identify the neighborhood in which you live or work. Members of the public also will have the opportunity to ask the candidates questions at the Town Hall Meeting as long as time permits.
In addition, the Mayor’s Office of Constituent Services (404-330-6023) will have staff available in the lobby throughout the Town Hall Meeting to answer residents’ questions and address concerns about City issues not related to the police chief search.
The Atlanta Civic Center is located at 395 Piedmont Ave. NE, Atlanta, GA 30308. The phone number is 404-523-6275. Doors open for the Town Hall Meeting open at 5:00 p.m. Seating is on a first-come, first-serve basis. Free parking is available. No signs, banners or placards will be allowed in the auditorium. Proper attire and decorum is required of all attendees. The program ends at 7:30 p.m. sharp.
About the Finalists:
Dr. Cedric L. Alexander, United States Department of Homeland Security, Transportation Security Administration, Dallas/Ft. Worth International Airport
Alexander began his law enforcement career in the Sheriff’s Department of Leon and then Orange County, Florida before joining the Miami-Dade Police Department as a sworn officer of the Detective Bureau. He spent five years as an assistant professor at the University of Rochester Medical Center providing senior level administrative and clinical leadership over mental health services in the Department of Psychiatry. He then joined the Rochester Police Department as first a Deputy Chief and then Chief of Police. He served as a Deputy Commissioner for the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services before joining the Department of Homeland Security Transportation Security Administration and leading federal security oversight at Dallas/Ft. Worth International Airport. Alexander received his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from St. Thomas University and holds a Doctorate of Clinical Psychology from Wright State University.
George N. Turner, Interim Police Chief, City of Atlanta, Atlanta, Georgia
An Atlanta native, Turner has more than 28 years of law enforcement experience with the City’s police department, including work as a family and youth services section police major, zone commander, human resources commander, police deputy chief, and now Interim Chief of Police. Turner is experienced in all phases of law enforcement including, administration, investigations, human resources, policy development, operations, support services, and logistical management. Since his appointment as Interim Chief in January, overall crime in Atlanta is down about 20 percent compared to last year. Turner also has proven success in community-oriented policing, strategic thinking and crisis management. Turner holds a B.A. in Criminal Justice from St. Leo University and earned a Master’s degree in Public Administration from Columbus State University.
Robert Crump White, Chief of Police, Louisville Metro Police Department, Louisville, KY
White has four decades of law enforcement experience. He has served as a Cadet, Captain, Inspector/Major, Commander, and has experience as a Police Chief in two cities: Louisville, Kentucky and Greensboro, North Carolina. White was the Assistant Chief of Police in Washington D.C. He is experienced in departmental reorganization, merging departments, strategic budget administration, crime reduction, program development (e.g.: Louisville Metro Police Foundation), police development, logistical management and policy development. As police chief of three large police agencies, White has a strong track record of thinking strategically, initiating programs focused on improving the quality of life for residents, and developing efficiency standards to ensure that resident concerns and complaints are handled appropriately. White received his Bachelor of Arts in Public Administration summa cum laude from the University of the District of Columbia and earned a Master of Science in Applied Behavioral Science from Johns Hopkins University.