The Dalton Police Department finished second in the running for the Dr. Curtis McClung/Motorola Award of Excellence, which is presented by the Motorola, Inc. and the Georgia Association of Chiefs of Police (GACP) at the GACP convention on Monday. The Dalton Police Department was selected as one of three finalists in the state.
The award is presented annually to honor police departments which demonstrate innovative training techniques to accomplish a department’s mission and goals, innovative programs which impact the community and the law enforcement profession, programs which improve cooperation among law enforcement agencies, and programs or techniques which address an operational problem (a natural disaster, unique crime problem, etc).
The Dalton Police Department was nominated for Operation A.B.L.E. which began in June 2007 and continues today. Operation A.B.L.E. (Aiding the community in identifying crime, Building partnerships in the community, Locking up offenders, Enforcing the law consistently and Constitutionally) is the implementation of several different strategies to reduce gang-related crime, especially aggravated assault cases. Operation A.B.L.E. also addresses other disorderly crimes including illegal drug sales and use, prostitution, graffiti, immigration-related crimes (state forgery charges leveled against 23 individuals between June and September 2007 for working under fake documents—and cases are still being made), among others. Operation A.B.L.E. resulted in a reduction of the influence of gangs in Dalton.
To accomplish the goals of Operation A.B.L.E., the DPD employed the following strategies:
- Visited 450 residences to locate and interview possible gang members and their families-to identify them, their gang affiliations, known associates, and let the family know of their activities
- Reduced that down to 96 confirmed gang members; 54 in the City of Dalton
- Adopt-a Gang Member: Officers and detective assigned to continue personal visits to residence of gang members on regular basis to monitor, keep family contact
- Provided real-time access, with photos, to the Gang database for all patrol officers in their patrol cars via laptop
- Conducted GPS mapping data of all known gang members and provided that to patrol officers in their cars
- Conducted street-level prostitution and drug stings
- Conducted several Road Checks in all parts of city
- Held a series of public forums on gangs and immigration
- Provided crime data to citizens via Internet: a more informed, vigilant public sends a message that criminals are not welcome
- Increased officer presence in all areas of city
- Increased media presence via radio, television, print, and Internet
Prior to the implementation of Operation A.B.L.E., between 2005 and 2007 there were 88 gang-related aggravated assaults in Dalton. Between 2007 and 2009 that number has been reduced to 22 gang-related aggravated assaults. A citizen survey conducted by the Dalton Police Department in 2006 showed that 66% of respondents felt crime was increasing in Dalton. In a survey conducted in 2008, only 22% of respondents held that view.
Additionally, since the implementation of Operation A.B.L.E. in 2007, Part I crimes (Homicide, Rape, Robbery, Burglary, Larceny, Motor Vehicle Theft, and Arson) have decreased every year in Dalton. There were 1,625 reported Part I crimes in 2006, which fell to 1,520 Part I reports in 2007 and 1,391 in 2008. The department hopes to see another reduction in 2009.
The Winder, GA Police Department won the Dr. Curtis McClung/Motorola, Inc. Award of Excellence for it’s “Cop Talk” program. The other finalist was the University of Georgia Police Department and the Athens-Clarke County Police Department for the “Mission Indivisibility” Program.
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