Atlanta Mayor and APD begin pulling officers from federal task forces, FBI issues statement

ATLANTA, Ga. (CBS46) -- The Atlanta Police Department has started pulling officers off of several federal task forces.

“Mayor Bottoms and Chief Shields have said repeatedly that they believe in creating a culture of transparency at APD through widespread deployment and use of body-worn cameras,” said an APD spokesperson. 

The public has also expressed a growing desire to see more and more departments utilize body cameras to hold law enforcement accountable.

After a shooting incident earlier this year -- involving APD Officer Sung Kim who fatally shot an accused armed robber--  at the time, Kim was serving on the FBI’s fugitive task force. Mayor Bottoms and Chief Shields insisted that APD officers on that task force, and others such as the Drug Enforcement Administration’s High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area and the U.S. Marshal’s Southeast Regional Task Force, wear body cameras while on duty.

When federal agencies informed APD that officers serving on these task forces would not be allowed to wear body cameras, the decision was made to begin pulling them from those duties.

City officials argue that the public trust lost from officers not wearing body cameras, and the accountability they help ensure, was not worth whatever gains the department may achieve through continued service on these task forces and missions.

The U.S. Marshals sent CBS46 the following statement:

The United States Marshals Southeast Regional Fugitive Task Force has had a long and successful partnership with the Atlanta Police Department. Our collaborative effort has resulted in several hundred fugitives wanted by the APD for violent felonies being located and arrested every year. We are sad to see this partnership come to an end, but are always willing to assist the APD if asked in the future. Our task force’s mission is to locate and arrest those charged with committing violent felony crimes. This is an important mission that we will continue to perform for the citizens of Atlanta, the Metropolitan area, and the rest of the state of Georgia.

Special Agent in Charge Chris Hacker with the Atlanta FBI also released a statement regarding the decision to pull officers from multiple task forces.

"The decision by the Atlanta Police Department to withdraw police officers from federal task forces does not change our mission to protect the citizens of the city of Atlanta, the state of Georgia, and the United States and to uphold the Constitution.

The agents, analysts, language specialists, legal experts, and other professional staff of the FBI will continue to work every day to keep our community safe from threats of violence and criminal activity. We will continue to partner with other members of our task forces formally and informally to share information and address threats as appropriate.

I want to thank the Atlanta Police Department for their participation in the past and will continue to work with them in the future by sharing information with them and collaborating in any other way to keep our community safe.

I want to assure the people of the city of Atlanta and the state of Georgia that the men and women of the FBI will continue to do their work diligently and with the utmost respect for adherence to the Constitution."

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