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Atlanta schools add drones and tactical team
Atlanta Public Schools launched its first internal mobile tactical unit and drone squad ahead of the new school year without adding staff.
ATLANTA - The Atlanta Public Schools Police Department unveiled its new tactical unit and drone unit during live drills ahead of the Aug. 3 start of school.
New tactical team
What we know:
For the first time, the Atlanta Public Schools Police Department features its own internal tactical unit. The mobile squad is trained to respond quickly to violent threats on school grounds.
Chief Ronald Applin explained that the department created the unit by reassigning and training existing staff rather than hiring new personnel. Previously, the district relied on the Atlanta Police Department or the Fulton County Sheriff's Office for specialized emergency response. Applin noted that relying on outside agencies created risks if those departments were tied up with separate emergencies.
The department also introduced a new drone unit to provide aerial support during critical incidents.
Tactical unit operations
What they're saying:
Chief Applin emphasized that while no one wants to prepare for school violence, officers must be equipped to handle any situation.
"As much as we'd like to not have to deal with this. It's something we have to prepare for," Applin said. "I want to increase the chances that everyone who's involved survives."
Applin added that the unit will match the firepower of any threat officers encounter.
"We'll match that. We'll match the caliber of the weapon we are dealing with," Applin said.
Security staffing levels
By the numbers:
Chief Applin confirmed that every school in the district has dedicated law enforcement:
- Elementary schools: At least one officer on campus.
- Middle schools: One to two officers on campus.
- High schools: One to three officers on campus.
Staffing assignments are calculated using analytics that track student population size, incident types and service call volume at each school.
Decade-long safety effort
The backstory:
This school year marks 10 years since Atlanta Public Schools established the Office of Safety and Security, which launched the district's independent police department and emergency management division. Department leaders said the addition of tactical and drone units represents the next step in maintaining campus security.
"To make sure that we can provide a safe, secure environment for our kids," Applin said.
The Source: The information in this story was gathered from an official briefing and live tactical demonstrations hosted by Atlanta Public Schools Police Chief Ronald Applin.