city manager's report masthead 2022
Dunwoody, Georgia: April 2023
I want to draw your attention to an important survey about police response policies, and I hope you’ll find some time over the next two weeks to share your input. The survey was created for the Dunwoody Police Department by BerryDunn, a national consulting firm. It’s part of the firm’s overall assessment of the department’s policies, procedures, and operations.
Call-for-service Survey
 
The survey focuses on the traditional police call-for-service (CFS) model and explores whether certain police calls might be better addressed through non-traditional methods. For example, for a littering call, would you be comfortable if a non-sworn police staff member responded to the incident to take the report? In the case of an accident with no injuries, how would you feel about filing a report through a telephone response unit or online reporting portal?
 
To develop this survey, BerryDunn worked with Dunwoody Police and examined more than 200 call-for-service types to see which ones might be handled differently to maximize resources, balance workloads, and improve efficiency. These CFS types generally fall into three categories:
  • The incident is no longer in progress.
  • The suspect is no longer present.
  • There is minimal or no evidence to be collected.
 
Sworn officers would continue to respond to in-progress incidents and those with substantial evidence to be collected. What’s more, Dunwoody Police would not divert any CFS types if there is a known risk or expected danger to the responders, based on the circumstances of the reported event.
 
This community survey is a critical part of the overall CFS evaluation process, which also involves internal discussions with police staff and City officials, plus external discussions with service providers, advocacy groups, and other stakeholders. The survey will be available through April 14.
Co-responder Program
 
The CFS evaluation will also identify collaboration opportunities with other organizations. During their most recent meeting, Dunwoody City Council Members approved a contract with the DeKalb Community Service Board for a licensed behavioral health clinician to be shared by Dunwoody Police and Doraville Police.
 
This is similar to a program in place last year that benefited our police and the community. A licensed behavioral health clinician assisted Dunwoody officers on calls that involved someone who might be struggling with a mental health issue. The clinician also helped with substance abuse calls and homelessness. We look forward to the start of this new program.
Welcome to Dunwoody
 
Congratulations to the newest members of the Dunwoody Police Department (pictured L-R: Officer Justin Davis, Officer Jonah Amos, and Officer Adam Gallop).
Officer Davis joins us from the Smyrna Police Department. Officer Amos previously served with the DeKalb Police Department. Officer Gallop also worked for DeKalb PD. All three took the Oath Of Office during the most recent City Council Meeting. Please look for these new officers on patrol, and help us welcome them to Dunwoody.