Moki Macias, the executive director of Policing Alternatives and Diversion Initiative (PAD), says the initiative is a pathway, not a destination.
The PAD Initiative, birthed from a pilot program in 2017, serves as a diversion program that aims to provide an alternative to arresting people committing violations related to mental illness, addiction, homelessness or extreme poverty.
Atlanta mayor Andre Dickens recently announced a $4.5 million investment to expand PAD’s operational hours to 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
On Thursday’s edition of “Closer Look,” Macias and Chyna Quarker, a referral manager for PAD, returned to the program to discuss several topics, including the city’s investment in PAD, the criminalization of mental illness and the nonprofit’s ongoing response since its citywide expansion in 2021.
