{"228901":{"#nid":"228901","#data":{"type":"news","title":"GTPD Partnerships Benefit Campus, Beyond","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EWhen the Atlanta Police Department (APD) needed help with surveillance during the Peachtree Road Race, it turned to the Georgia Tech Police Department (GTPD) for support.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThey asked to use the department\u2019s SkyCop mobile surveillance unit\u0026nbsp; \u2014 and we were honored to contribute to public safety at such a high-profile event,\u201d said GTPD\u2019s Deputy Chief of Police Rob Connolly. \u201cBut this was really just another everyday example of the solid relationships the GTPD has established with neighboring law enforcement agencies.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOver the past year, there have been several examples of the success of these partnerships with groups including APD and Midtown Blue, the public safety force for the Midtown community.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn March, a drug deal gone bad led to a shooting and multiple car crash at the North Avenue and Spring Street intersection. The suspects who fled from the getaway vehicle (in three separate directions) were immediately apprehended by officers from APD, GTPD, and Midtown Blue.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMore recently, APD praised GTPD, through an official letter of commendation, following a robbery in Midtown. During the incident, GTPD officers responded to APD\u2019s call to be on the lookout for the suspect. Officer J. Clifford pursued and arrested the armed suspect, who attempted to escape by jumping off the Fifth Street Bridge onto the Downtown Connector.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn another recent incident, Tech cameras detected the suspect in a robbery that occurred near campus. With GTPD\u2019s assistance, APD was able to arrest the suspect and return the stolen items to the victim.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cGTPD and APD often work as one to promote public safety,\u201d said APD\u2019s Maj. James Whitmire. \u201cDuring my 24 years of police work, I can say that the partnership between APD and the GTPD is the best I\u2019ve ever seen or been a part of.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBecause the districts are all intertwined, \u201cIt just makes sense to partner,\u201d said Sgt. Fred Briggs, lead officer at Midtown Blue. For example, GTPD and Midtown Blue partnered to raise money to secure a squad car that facilitates joint patrols by APD and GTPD on campus and in areas including Home Park and Centennial Olympic Apartments.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cBecause the majority of our crimes are on the outskirts of campus, a partnership like this is critical,\u201d Connolly said. \u201cIt\u2019s our way of protecting not only the campus but areas around campus.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAnother initiative that will extend GTPD\u2019s crime fighting powers beyond campus is an exterior camera project. Currently, all of GTPD\u2019s cameras are fixed on campus buildings.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWhen the first phase of the camera project is complete in two months, 15 cameras will keep a virtual eye on all of the entry roads into campus, supporting APD and Midtown Blue\u2019s camera networks. At the end of the second phase, which will likely be complete in about six months, 25 cameras will help protect Tech\u2019s periphery.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cNeither APD nor Midtown Blue have cameras around the perimeter of our campus. That\u2019s why we\u2019re going to invest in these cameras and share it with these agencies,\u201d Connolly said. \u201cThese are reciprocal relationships. We keep track of and support each other. What\u2019s great about it is that, over the past few years, our partnerships have continued to become stronger and stronger.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EWhen the Atlanta Police Department (APD) needed help with surveillance during the Peachtree Road Race, it turned to the Georgia Tech Police Department (GTPD) for support.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"When the Atlanta Police Department (APD) needed help with surveillance during the Peachtree Road Race, it turned to the Georgia Tech Police Department (GTPD) for support."}],"uid":"27445","created_gmt":"2013-08-15 08:18:27","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:14:42","author":"Amelia Pavlik","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2013-08-15T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2013-08-15T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"228891":{"id":"228891","type":"image","title":"SkyCop","body":null,"created":"1449243582","gmt_created":"2015-12-04 15:39:42","changed":"1475894901","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:48:21","alt":"SkyCop","file":{"fid":"197481","name":"skycop.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/skycop_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/skycop_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":2232945,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/skycop_0.jpg?itok=rpm3Y7ou"}}},"media_ids":["228891"],"related_links":[{"url":"http:\/\/www.police.gatech.edu\/","title":"Georgia Tech Police Department"}],"groups":[{"id":"1214","name":"News Room"}],"categories":[{"id":"129","name":"Institute and Campus"}],"keywords":[{"id":"38891","name":"APD"},{"id":"3391","name":"Atlanta Police Department"},{"id":"3390","name":"Georgia Tech Police Department"},{"id":"2543","name":"GTPD"},{"id":"71601","name":"Midtown Blue"},{"id":"167060","name":"safety"},{"id":"171286","name":"SkyCop"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:brigitte.espinet@comm.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EBrigitte Espinet\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EInstitute Communications\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}