ATLANTA — Atlanta residents can now track use of force complaints against the Atlanta Police Department and upload video evidence of use of force to a new portal.
Both new initiatives are recommendations of Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms’ Use of Force Advisory Council. Officially, they are known as the use of force dashboard and the video evidence submittal portal.
The purpose of the Use of Force Dashboard is to improve transparency, increase trust between the public and the police department and tp facilitate fact-based discussions around police performance in the city. This dashboard will be updated quarterly, with the next update expected in October 2021.
The dashboard currently shows data for 2020 and reports that there were 19,000 total arrests and 213 reports of use of force. According to the dashboard, that’s 26% fewer reports of use of force than the previous year.
The Video Evidence Submittal Portal allows members of the public to submit video footage when filing a complaint with APD, including evidence of an alleged use of force incident. Complaints and associated footage may be submitted anonymously, if desired, and are submitted to the police department’s Office of Professional Standards to go through their investigative process. Members of the public may also submit video footage to the through the office’s online complaint form.
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