Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney recently highlighted a significant gap in the usage of a newly opened diversion center in Atlanta.
Since its inauguration in January, an average of just three individuals per day have been brought to the center by law enforcement, a stark contrast to its capacity of handling up to 40 individuals daily.
The diversion center is a pivotal initiative aimed at reducing arrests and recidivism, with officials estimating it could divert over 10,000 jail bookings annually.
However, as McBurney pointed out, such an investment—totaling $5 million from Fulton County and Atlanta for this year—requires tangible results.
“If the county is going to continue to invest, we need to see the results that we came to you and represented to you would be there,” McBurney stated.
He emphasized the need for increased referrals to the diversion center, underscoring its potential, stating that they built a facility capable of accommodating more individuals.
The disparity in perspectives regarding the center’s performance surfaced during a recent board meeting, where Atlanta Police Major Hajredin Zenelaj called the number of nearly 400 individuals sent to the diversion center since its opening “extraordinary.”
In a response highlighting the apparent disconnect, Commissioner Mo Ivory remarked, “If one party thinks the numbers are very low and the other party thinks that they’re doing great at the numbers, then we have a disconnect.”
Commissioner Ivory also proposed the idea of providing incentives to police officers to encourage utilization of the center, suggesting that not having to arrest someone deserves to be celebrated.
Other commissioners expressed solidarity with the diversion center initiative, acknowledging that its operation had only been underway for a short span of time.
Fulton County Commissioner Khadijah Abdur-Rahman emphasized, “You have a diversion center; you need to use it. It’s going to take money, it’s going to take education, and it’s going to take us working together.”
Chairman of the county’s Board of Commissioners, Robb Pitts, shared his surprise at the low referral rates during an interview, revealing that he had met with police chiefs from across Fulton County to raise awareness about the initiative.
Pitts noted his discussions revealed a lack of understanding among some officers about the diversion center’s purpose and their role in utilizing it effectively.
“I even talked with one of our police officers — Fulton County Police — and they knew nothing at all about it,” Pitts recounted.
Further analyzing the center’s potential, Pitts asserted that it should be serving a minimum of 22 individuals each day, aligning with expectations of the facility’s capacity.
He expressed concern that officers might not be bringing eligible individuals to the diversion center, identifying that most of the prospective referrals were from the city of Atlanta.
To date, the Atlanta Police Department (APD) remains the sole department actively referring individuals to the center.
As of the latest data, the number of individuals diverted has increased from 399 to at least 450, according to Zenelaj.
Michael Collins, a senior director of Color of Change—an organization advocating for racial justice—blamed the APD for its inadequate use of the diversion center.
“APD does not fully utilize diversion. They don’t believe in it,” Collins stated in an interview, contending that police officers lack accountability and that no consequences exist for not using the facility.
In defense of the department’s efforts, Zenelaj maintained that the APD has indeed demonstrated a commitment to the initiative.
He noted one significant advantage of utilizing the diversion center: it only takes a couple of minutes for officers to drop off an individual, allowing them to return swiftly to patrolling duties, unlike the lengthy jail booking process which can consume hours.
The diversion center is located within the Atlanta City Detention Center and remains operational 24 hours a day.
However, it currently serves only those individuals who are brought in by police officers and allows participants to stay for up to 23 hours.
McBurney shared data suggesting that there are numerous opportunities for police in both Atlanta and Fulton County to divert individuals rather than resorting to arrest and incarceration.
Notably, in February and March, police made 187 bookings related to charges that could have been diverted, including offenses such as disorderly conduct and public drinking.
Though approximately 30 of those cases were not eligible for diversion due to active warrants against the defendants, APD accounted for 42% of the bookings of individuals facing only divertible offenses.
This volume makes APD the highest contributor among local police departments for such bookings, with East Point Police contributing 12% and others like MARTA, Roswell, and Union City police each contributing 5%.
Data indicated that around half of these individuals were incarcerated for five days or fewer, whereas nearly 30% spent between six to twenty days in jail, and others endured over 30 days behind bars.
Moki Macias, the executive director of the Policing Alternatives & Diversion Initiative, which provides case management for participants at the diversion center, expressed concern about the ongoing overcrowding in the jail system.
“Our jail continues to be overcrowded,” Macias noted, pointing out the pressures from the ongoing consent decree affecting Fulton County.
According to a report presented on Wednesday, the Rice Street jail currently houses 1,860 inmates, a number slightly below the facility’s operational capacity, albeit with 587 beds reported as “out of service.”
As of the recent count, among the inmates, 24 individuals were being held on solely divertible charges, qualifying them for assistance at the diversion center, indicating missed opportunities for diversion and support.
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