Atlanta mayor seeks input in search for police chief
Before deciding who to name as the city’s permanent police chief, Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens is asking residents and stakeholders for feedback.
The mayor’s office on Monday launched a public survey asking for community input amid the national search for the department’s next leader. The nine-question survey asks participants to select the five leadership qualities most important to them in Atlanta’s next chief and list the police services they view as highest priorities for the city.
The survey was developed by Public Sector Search & Consulting, the company hired by the city to assist in the search.
“Effective 21st century policing requires a diverse group of community voices involved in the search for a permanent police chief,” Dickens said in a statement. “Building public trust between law enforcement and the communities they serve is a collaborative process, and our administration wants to ensure that all Atlantans have a seat at the table so we can hear their priorities for policing in Atlanta.”
The survey seeks input from stakeholders who live in Atlanta, work in Atlanta or visit the capital city regularly. Participants can remain anonymous and a link to the survey is available at surveymonkey.com/r/APD-Chief-of-Police.
In late May, Dickens announced Darin Schierbaum, the department’s assistant chief, would lead the agency in an interim capacity as the city conducts its search for the next chief. Schierbaum, a 20-year APD veteran, took over for former Chief Rodney Bryant after his retirement.
“He has the credentials and the experience,” Dickens said of Schierbaum after naming him interim chief. “Perhaps more importantly, he has the trust of his peers and the trust throughout the community of Atlanta.”
The transition comes as city leaders look to stem the surge of violent crime while attracting and retaining more officers. Dickens said earlier this year he hoped to have a permanent chief selected by September or October.
The 51-year-old Schierbaum joined the department in 2002 after more than a decade with the sheriff’s department in his native southern Illinois. The Midtown resident was promoted to sergeant in 2007 and became lieutenant two years later, according to his biography on the city’s website. He rose through the ranks over the years, becoming captain in 2013, major two years later and deputy chief in March 2020.
“This is a great police department and I’m proud to lead these men and women,” Schierbaum recently told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. But he acknowledged the decision to either make his role permanent or move in different direction ultimately rests with the mayor.