Athens-Clarke County Police Chief Cleveland Spruill on Sunday announced changes to ACCPD’s reporting and response protocols.
In a media release, Spruill reaffirmed that engagement and face-to-face interactions with the community is the cornerstone of his department’s community policing effort and has been an essential factor in allowing the department to maintain trust and legitimacy within Athens communities.
“However, at this unprecedented time in history, we recognize that the use of social distancing is both necessary and appropriate to protect our staff members and our community,” he said.
with that in mind and with a continuing focus on its primary function to protect and serve the community, the ACCPD is taking several proactive steps to keep its employees and community members safe.
Its Central Communications Center will continue to receive and triage all calls for service. In cases involving life safety or where other methods of reporting are either unavailable or not feasible, officers will continue to respond in person. However, in accordance with social-distancing guidelines, where appropriate, residents will be directed to utilize other forms of reporting as opposed to receiving in-person responses. Whenever possible, residents will be encouraged to utilize ACCPD’s online reporting portal to report incidents. In other instances, citizens will be directed to the police Telephone Reporting Unit, which will document the incident.
The police department is also asking that residents contact it by telephone before going to precincts and substations for routine police services. As much as possible, routine service requests will be handled online or by telephone.
ACCPD will continue to keep the public informed of relevant information and appreciates the public’s understanding of their need to limit face-to-face contact with the public for the benefit of all.
“I thank you in advance for your patience and understanding as we work through this unprecedented situation,”Spruill said. “Our commitment is to taking appropriate action to protect the safety and the health of our members and the community that we serve.”
If you need a copy of a police report, call the Records Division at (706) 613-3330, option 3.
Open Records requests can be made via email: police_orr@accgov.com
For online reporting, visit the police department’s website at: www.accgov.com/accpdsubmitreport
For non-emergency calls for service, the central communications center can be reached at:
(706) 613-3330, option 2
Since the lobby will be closed, live scan fingerprinting for background checks will be unavailable. In the event that fingerprints are needed, visit https://www.aps.gemalto.com/ga/index.htm for locations that provide this service.
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