Atlanta’s Center for Diversion and Services is giving police officers another option when someone in crisis needs help more than handcuffs.
Since opening in January 2025, the center has helped connect more than 1,200 individuals to services instead of jail for certain non-violent offenses.
During a March 9 meeting of the Atlanta City Council Public Safety and Legal Administration Committee, Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum shared that the Atlanta Police Department diverted 1,210 people in 2025, accounting for 86 percent of all diversions across law enforcement agencies in Fulton County.
The goal is simple: when someone’s situation is tied to mental health challenges, substance use, homelessness, or extreme poverty, officers have a pathway that connects that person to care rather than incarceration.
What diversion means
Diversion allows officers to refer eligible individuals to the center rather than making an arrest.
To qualify, individuals must:
- Be 18 years or older
- Be accused of a non-violent offense
- Have no active warrants
- Agree to participate in the diversion program
Officers must also determine that the situation involves a mental health crisis, substance use, homelessness, or extreme poverty.
Chief Schierbaum emphasized that diversion is not about replacing officer judgment — it’s about giving officers the right tools to respond to complex situations.
“I don’t believe in quotas for arrests, and I don’t believe in quotas for diversion,” Schierbaum said. “I believe in the right fit for the situation.”
Building awareness of the program
The Atlanta Police Department has also launched a pilot effort to make sure people know diversion may be an option.
Bilingual decals are now being placed in the back seats of patrol vehicles, encouraging individuals to ask officers about pre-arrest diversion if they believe their situation may qualify.
The decals read: “Ask your officer about pre-arrest diversion.”
Addressing the root causes
The most common offenses leading to diversion last year included:
- Criminal trespass
- Pedestrian in the roadway
- Urban camping
- Disorderly conduct
- Theft by shoplifting
Criminal trespass alone accounted for 483 diversions, meaning hundreds of individuals avoided being taken to the Fulton County Jail and were instead connected to services.
Training and tracking progress
Officers receive diversion training during recruit training, in-service training, and regular roll calls to ensure they understand when diversion may be appropriate.
APD also tracks diversion activity each week, reviewing where cases occur and identifying opportunities to improve awareness and officer education.
A partnership that keeps officers available
The diversion model works through a partnership between the City of Atlanta, the Atlanta Police Department, Grady Health System, and community service providers.
One concern when the center launched was how long officers might be out of service while waiting for someone to be processed.
Chief Schierbaum told Council members that Grady has helped streamline intake, allowing officers to return quickly to responding to calls across the city.
“Our officers work 24 hours a day, seven days a week,” Schierbaum said. “It’s important they’re able to get back out responding to calls.”
Real outcomes for real people
Behind every diversion is an individual story.
At Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, officers diverted 89 individuals in 2025. In one case, officers encountered a man who had been reported missing by his family in New Jersey. After being taken to the diversion center, staff were able to reconnect him with his family, and he returned home the following day.
Chief Schierbaum noted that some individuals may return to the program more than once — a reflection of the complex realities tied to mental illness, addiction, homelessness, and poverty.
“These are complicated reasons why people reappear in the system,” he said.
Strengthening One Safe City
The Diversion Center is part of Atlanta’s broader One Safe City approach to public safety — one that recognizes safety can be strengthened when officers have options that address the root causes of crisis.
Just over a year after opening, the numbers show the center is becoming an important part of how Atlanta responds when residents need help.
