APD ranks low on policing scorecard, Southern Center for Human Rights recommends policy changes

September 21st, 2023

Tiffany Williams Roberts, the public policy director for the Southern Center for Human Rights, was a guest on "Closer Look" on Sept. 20. She discussed data showing a rise in Atlanta police violence. (Alison Guillory/WABE)

Tiffany Williams Roberts, the public policy director for the Southern Center for Human Rights, is closely following the data related to the Atlanta Police Department’s use of force. That information is tracked in the City of Atlanta’s Use of Force database, as well as on the national Police Scorecard.

The scorecard gives APD a score of 29% for high funding, as well as racial disparities in deadly force and a high number of misconduct and excessive force complaints.

William Roberts, a guest on Wednesday’s edition of Closer Look,” told show host Rose Scott that since 2020, police violence in Atlanta has continued to rise.

She further discussed the findings of SCHR’s Community Safety and Police Violence Town Hall series and explained how the SCHR is using data from the national Police Scorecard, APD’s data on racial disparities in policing in Atlanta, public health studies and research from Atlanta residents to inform policy solutions.