Anyone applied or work for APD? (Atlanta: crime, transfer to, school)

[Browneyes29]

Atlanta Police Department had a recruitment event here in MI about 3 weeks ago. I attended the event and is currently waiting on a phone call from an investigator. I'm just wondering if anyone has applied to the department recently? Where are you in the process? Also, any info about the department is appreciated!

[SW30303]

I knew a few officers from about 5-7 years ago working for the APD by sight and talked to them on occasion and at that time their morale was low. I had a brother in law who wanted to work there, so I struck up a few conversations with officers I saw patrolling the same area on a weekly basis.

I would hope things are a bit better these days, but I would guess not with some recent cutbacks with the ATL police and fire department (this is all over anyway). I wish I could be more positive, but they were pretty down about a lot of stuff going on (politics with upper management to not having bullet proof vests).

[jhtrico1850]

They have posters advertising in the Atlanta transit stations saying 39k-41k.

[Browneyes29]

Originally Posted by SW30303

I knew a few officers from about 5-7 years ago working for the APD by sight and talked to them on occasion and at that time their morale was low. I had a brother in law who wanted to work there, so I struck up a few conversations with officers I saw patrolling the same area on a weekly basis.

I would hope things are a bit better these days, but I would guess not with some recent cutbacks with the ATL police and fire department (this is all over anyway). I wish I could be more positive, but they were pretty down about a lot of stuff going on (politics with upper management to not having bullet proof vests).

Wow! Not having bullet proof vests is pretty odd especially since they are hiring over 700 officers within the next 4 years. I mean you would think they would be able to afford it....

[Browneyes29]

Originally Posted by jhtrico1850

They have posters advertising in the Atlanta transit stations saying 39k-41k.

Yeah they have had several recruitment events so they must be in desperate need of officers.

[cityrover]

If you have a criminal record and are black, you are welcome.

They can't find people and the ones they find end up in jail. It is rather pathetic. Half ATLPD is @ the airport power tripping

[ecuresident]

While I dont know anything about APD, take these other posters with a grain of salt. As you can see they have personal vendettas against the APD, so their comments are not really relevant. While the APD does not have the best rep, there is a new Chief of Police that is supposed to do good things. Unfortunately it seems to be the culture in GA to have lazy, corrupt, cheating employees in Atlanta government, as there is a politician, policeman, or school administrator getting arrested or sued for this. Hopefully people are getting sick of this and it is changing. If you look at crime stats, crime has gone down considerably (even though it doesnt feel like it)! I know one of the new Mayor's (Kasim Reed) major agendas was to have a full police force and decreased crime. All this leads me to think that the APD was not the place to work for prior to this, but now this may not be the case. I would try to talk to current police officers to see how they like it, and to see if anything has changed in the last few months.

[SW30303]

I know this is an old thread, but others may be interested, so I am directing it to the casual reader.

Talking to people who are police officers in person in an area you want to be in is best. If you haven't thought of it already, take them out to lunch or for coffee on their day off, to ask about how it is to be a officer of the law. You may get more direct information that way. I'd get a few opinions, too.

If you look for corruption, it is there, and that can be anywhere.

[OctoberMoon]

I know this thread is a few months old, but I wanted to comment on it.

My husband was a police officer in Phoenix, AZ for close to a year. He resigned for personal reasons and after no other departments in Arizona were hiring, we decided to move to GA, which is where he was born and raised. He applied to 3 or 4 departments here. Atlanta was one of them. He passed the exams and when he went in for the initial interview, they told him because he had ONE tattoo on his arm that he could not continue the hiring process.

Knowing officers in cities like Los Angeles, Phoenix, etc....my husband was baffled that something so little would keep him from getting hired. He spent 4 years in the Navy and had a year of Police experience under his belt. Yet they overlooked all that due to a Koi fish tattoo.

He is now hired on by Dekalb County Sheriffs department. Our plan is to move back to California in a few years and he will transfer to maybe Pasadena Police or even LAPD or L.A. County Sheriffs.

I'm actually glad he didn't get hired on by Atlanta. The department here gives me bad vibes.

[JD07]

Anyone in the hiring process with Atlanta pd?