Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40AMERICAN POLICE BEAT: DECEMBER 2016 23 B eginninglastmonth, a handful of Atlanta Police officers will get an opportunity to live where they work. Thanks to a donation from a charitable foundation, five Atlanta Police cops will move into new, two-story houses on James P. Brawley Drive. The 2,000-square-foot homes have three bedrooms and two-and-a-half baths. The structures were built with money from what’s known as a public-private partnership between home builder PulteGroup, the city, the Atlanta Police Founda- tion, the Atlanta Housing Authority and the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation. “We believe this is at the core of what community policing should be,” Dave Wilkinson, president and CEO at the Arthur Blank Family told the Atlanta Jour- nal Constitution. The five officers are just the first batch. The developers hope to get 20 to 25 officers into similar homes over the next four years. “This is a neighborhood of families,” Atlanta City Councilman Ivory Young said during the press confer- ence where the homes were on display. “This is a neigh- borhood of greatness.” Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed is trying to encourage builders who get tax dol- lars to set aside affordable housing for police officers, firefighters, teachers and others. As in many other major cities, cost of living increases have made it almost impos- sible for police officers and their families to live there. The new homes are pretty nice, featuring granite coun- tertops, two-car garages and large closets. The five officers will get them at a discounted price of about $145,000. Atlanta Police officer Jona- than Allen II is moving into one of the new residences. He says he’s looking forward to renting out his duplex in Ellenwood in Henry County so he can live closer to the community he works in. Officer Jason Bain is an- other officer moving in to the new digs. He’s got a 16-year-old son and 12-year-old daughter. “They can’t wait to move in,” Bain told reporters. “My daughter already plans to paint her room purple.” Charitable giving allows residency Charitable gifts, which are tax deductible, now a critical aspect of LE funding If you see something, say something. Wear your hel- met. And whatever you do, never let your school age child attending elementary school walk the three blocks back to your house because you could be arrested. In Magnolia, Texas, school officials say the new rules are all about safety. According to FOX News, the principal has decided that no matter how close the stu- dent lives to the school, the student must either take the bus, or the parent must pick them up in a car and join a long line of vehicles who are all doing the same thing. Try to walk your student off the campus and you could face criminal charges. This quite naturally sounds completely insane to many parents and other residents. “She’s threatening to arrest people,” says Wendy Jarman about the principal, Holly Ray. This probably isn’t about protecting kids so much as it is protecting faculty and management. Critics say it’s a thinly veiled attempt to keep par- ents from coming to the school for whatever reason – including complaining about arbitrary discipline, teacher performance, and behavior issues. Jarman has gone so far as to pull her kids out of the school to attend classes at a private school. Before the new policy, her kids walked because they live so close but when the principal started using county constables to make sure that no kids or parents were walking to or from school, this mom had enough. It’s just really stupid Hand crafted silver and gold jewelry by a former San Antonio PD Detective. Rings, pendants, tie tacks, charms. Low prices, beautiful craftsmanship.