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Governor Brian P. Kemp announced that Georgia has received its 12th Shovel Award – its 11th consecutive such award – recognizing the state’s excellence in attracting investment and creating jobs. Georgia’s Silver Shovel Award is presented by Area Development, the leading executive magazine covering corporate site selection and relocation.

“It’s an honor to accept this award on behalf of all of the hardworking Georgians who consistently create opportunities in their communities,” said Governor Kemp. “For eleven years in a row, Georgia has earned this recognition thanks to our pro-business environment, unmatched workforce, world-renowned logistics, and longstanding commitment to attracting jobs to every corner of the state. I want to thank our state’s economic development team and our local partners for their tireless work to promote prosperity throughout the Peach State.”

Area Development’s annual Shovel Awards give recognition to state and local economic development agencies that leverage innovative policies, workforce development, and logistics hubs to drive investment and job creation. All states were invited to submit information to Area Development on major groundbreakings, investments, and business expansions occurring in 2019.

“This award recognizing jobs and investment in Georgia represents more than a decade of Georgia’s unwavering support for economic development,” said Georgia Department of Economic Development Commissioner Pat Wilson. “It represents strong relationships and leadership at every level of our state. I thank Governor Kemp, our legislature, our state economic development team, and all of our partners across the state for helping us establish such a solid framework of diverse industries that will keep Georgia on the path of growth.”

A report on the 2020 Shovel Award Winners is published in the Q2/2020 issue of Area Development online here.

The Reimagining Atlanta City Detention Center (ACDC) Task Force submitted to Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, its Final Report on recommendations to close and reimagine the use of the Atlanta City Detention Center. 

The report reflects the collaborative efforts and thought leadership of local community members, stakeholders and experts who worked over the past year to develop recommendations to transform the Atlanta jail. The facility stands to serve as a beacon of change and a vibrant hub of services that offer equitable opportunity and resources to Atlantans and communities which have been disproportionately impacted by over-incarceration and systemic racism.

“More than a year ago, I signed legislation to begin reforming our approach to public safety through a collaborative process to close and reimagine ACDC as a resource for empowering our communities,” said Mayor Bottoms. “Thank you to the members of this Task Force for your tireless efforts to ensure that all who call Atlanta home have not only a second chance, but for most, a first chance to have access to opportunity. Together, we can build a smarter and fairer system to equip Atlantans with the tools needed for success in the 21^st Century.”

In support of community organizers’ call for closure of the jail, as well the declining number of daily inmates and increased operating costs, Mayor Bottoms signed legislation in May 2019 to create the Task Force to reimagine the use of the Atlanta City Detention Center (ACDC).

Mayor Bottoms’ proposed FY21 budget will include an amendment to reduce the Department of Corrections $18.9M to $3.6M until the jail closes; move $13.5M and the majority of the jail staff to the Mayor’s Office of Constituent Services to broaden and enhance community-based initiatives; and $1.85M to other City departments. 

The Task Force consisted of 52 members from a cross-section of individuals from the City of Atlanta, Fulton County, DeKalb County, service providers, community organizations, residents, the academic community, the business community, the faith community, public safety representatives, and elected officials. The work of the Task Force was led by a Planning Team of individuals from the Mayor’s Office, Women on the Rise, Georgia Works!, Racial Justice Action Center, Designing Justice + Designing Spaces, Atlanta-Fulton County Pre-Arrest Diversion, and Bloomberg Associates. The Planning Team also guided the work of three workgroups — Policy, Program, and Building — whose work was also informed by a review of best practices, decriminalization research & analysis, core program ideation and community engagement.

The recommendations in the Task Force Report includes four design proposals, over 10 City and State statute amendments, and four focused service areas. View the full report at this link.

The Reimagining ACDC Initiative reflects a best practice model for collaborative strategic problem solving and community-driven approaches to addressing mass incarceration, systemic racism, and growing inequality among marginalized communities.

Since taking office, Mayor Bottoms has implemented a number of actions to reform Atlanta’s criminal justice system. In her first month in office, she eliminated cash bond in Atlanta, ensuring that no one languishes in jail because of an inability to pay. 

Mayor Bottoms also worked with the City’s Department of Corrections and Department of Watershed Management to establish the City’s Preparing Adult Offenders through Treatment and Therapy (PAT3) program to assist prison inmates with finding jobs. 

And most recently, Mayor Bottoms issued an Administrative Order to convene an Advisory Council comprised of community members and partners to examine the City’s use of force policies and procedures. The Advisory Council will make recommendations for operational or legislative changes to the City’s existing use of force policies.

Rimidi, a cloud-based software platform that enables personalized management of health conditions across populations, today unveiled its COVID-19 Population Monitoring Toolkit for employers to accurately assess workforce readiness as they begin to reopen among the coronavirus pandemic. The tool ensures the health and safety of individuals by offering businesses a holistic platform that combines symptom surveillance, testing and biometric monitoring to determine overall preparedness. 

“While employers have started testing employees for COVID-19, testing is still an imperfect system. Results may take up to 72 hours and the cost of frequent workforce testing adds up fast, with each test costing roughly $100. To ensure employee safety and minimize operational disruption, employers need a strategic approach with testing and temperature checking being directed by screening data,” said Lucienne Ide, MD, PhD, founder of Rimidi. “With Rimidi’s Epidemic Monitoring Platform, originally built for health systems with EHR-integration to screen, monitor, and triage patients appropriately, employers can apply a more holistic return-to-work strategy.”

Through a partnership with CareTeam, an employee health services company with onsite or near-site clinics, as well as virtual health management, employers using the Rimidi Epidemic Monitoring platform can aggregate and analyze employee data to accurately assess their workforce’s readiness. By leveraging the real-time insights provided, employers can create a longitudinal record of the measures taken to protect their employees, while also strategically using testing and personal protective equipment resources.

“We are thrilled to partner with Rimidi to help organizations safely get their employees back to work during these unprecedented times. By giving employers a tool to compliantly monitor their workforce symptoms and potential COVID-exposure, in line with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance, we are able to help employers continue to operate through these challenging times,” added Scott Parks, President, CareTeam. 

Whether for healthcare staff, essential manufacturing employees, or office workers, the Rimidi Epidemic Monitoring Platform supports the necessary measures and tracking guidelines employers need to inform workforce readiness. 

One company working with Rimidi and CareTeam is Tiger Fuel, a large distributor of petroleum energy products. CareTeam provides near-site clinic support for Tiger Fuel employees who may be referred to testing depending on their answers to the screening survey.

“COVID-19 has changed the workplace indefinitely. Historically, testing employees and asking personal health questions had been deemed too intrusive, but it’s now necessary to ensure the overall safety and well-being of teams. Using technology like the Rimidi Epidemic Monitoring platform, we are able to reopen the workplace in a safe and efficient way, while also working to prevent potential outbreaks on the job,” said Ryan Whitlock, Tiger Fuel’s human-resources director.

For more information on the COVID-19 Population Monitoring Toolkit or to see how the Epidemic Platform helps health systems triage and monitor patients appropriately, visit

rimidi.com/lp/employers-covid-19-monitoring-toolkit.

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The Atlanta Police Department has released dashboard and body camera footage from the two officers involved in the shooting and killing of Rayshard Brooks at a Wendy’s fast food restaurant on University Avenue on the night of June 12.

This footage above is from the dash cam perspective of former Officer Garrett Rolfe, who arrived on the scene after Officer Devin Brosnan was already questioning Brooks. The video below (courtesy of 11Alive) shows footage from Brosnan’s body cam as Brooks is questioned by Rolfe. Please note that both of these videos contain graphic content.

Rolfe, who fired the shots that killed Brooks, has been terminated by APD and Brosnan placed on administrative duty.

In a report released by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI), the two officers were responding to a complaint of a male asleep in a vehicle parked in the Wendy’s drive-thru.

After failing a field sobriety test, officers attempted to place Brooks into custody and a struggled ensued. The APD officer deployed a taser and during the struggle, Brooks grabbed and was in possession of the taser.

“It appears that the gentleman has the taser in in his hand, runs a relatively short distance, and then appears to turn around and point the taser at the Atlanta officer,” GBI Director Vic Reynolds said during a June 13 press conference. “That is when officer reached down and retrieved his weapon from his holster and discharges and fires at Mr. Brooks, who goes down.”

The GBI said it would turn its findings over the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office for possible charges against the officer. Police Chief Erika Shields resigned as commander in the wake of the shooting.

During protests on Saturday night, the Downtown Connector at University Avenue was blocked by demonstrators and the Wendy’s was destroyed by fire. APD arrested 36 people in connection with the protests.

The post VIDEO: APD releases dashboard and body camera footage in killing of Rayshard Brooks appeared first on Atlanta INtown Paper.

Up to a few decades or even years ago, people didn’t know what ecology was. The main reason behind that isn’t ignorance, but carelessness. As the world and science advance…

The Wendy’s fast food restaurant on University Avenue where Rayshard Brooks was shot and killed by Atlanta Police was set ablaze by protesters on Saturday night

The fire was sparked after several hundred protesters blocked the I-75/85 Downtown Connector in both directions for more than hour snarling traffic.

Atlanta Police had not released any details on the number of arrests at midnight, but city jail buses were on scene as protesters were removed from the interstate.

The Wendy’s was destroyed in the fire, which appears to have started after demonstrators broke windows and tossed fireworks into the building.

Protesters also marched to the State Capitol and through other parts of Downtown in the afternoon and evening of June 13, even as Atlanta Police Chief Erika Shields tendered her resignation.

The shooting of Brooks came two weeks after protests began on Atlanta in the wake of the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation, which is investigating the shooting of Brooks, released surveillance camera footage of the incident on Saturday afternoon.

Brooks, 27, was being investigated for a DUI after complaints he was asleep in his car blocking the drive-thru lane of the Wendy’s around 10;30 p.m. on June 12. After a tussle with police, Brooks was shot and killed.

Just after midnight on Sunday, APD announced that the officer who shot Rayshard Brooks has been terminated. The fired officer has been identified as Garrett Rolfe, while a second officer involved in the incident, Devin Bronsan, has been put on administrative duty.

The post Night of protest, unrest after officer-involved shooting of Rayshard Brooks; one officer fired appeared first on Atlanta INtown Paper.

Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms said she has accepted the resignation of Atlanta Police Chief Erika Shields following last night’s officer-involved shooting that took the life of Rayshard Brooks.

Bottoms made the announcement at a press conference held at City Hall on Saturday afternoon. The mayor said the officer’s use of deadly force against Brooks, 27, was not justified and called for his immediate termination.

Brooks was being investigated for a DUI after complaints he was asleep in his car blocking the drive-thru lane of the Wendy’s on University Avenue on June 12 around 10;30 p.m. After a tussle with police, Brooks was shot and killed.

While Bottoms praised the dedication of the officers of the Atlanta Police Department, she said “there has been a disconnect between officers and the communities they protect.”

Bottoms said Shields has been a “solid member of APD for two decades” and will remain with the force in a role to be determined.

“Chief Shields and I believe Atlanta can be a model of meaningful police reform,” Bottoms said. She said Shield’s stepping aside would allow the city to “move forward with urgency to rebuild trust throughout our communities.”

Former assistant police Chief Rodney Bryant will serve as the interim chief while the city launches a  national search for new leadership, Bottoms said.

“The service and sacrifice of APD’s officers is not lost upon me, and I remain grateful for the work that you do to keep our city safe,” the mayor said. “But as Dr. King reminded us many years ago, there is a fierce urgency of now that calls upon each of us, myself included, to be held accountable to the communities in which we are entrusted to serve.”

Bottoms said she had convened an advisory council to review the APD’s use of deadly force policy and recommendations would be forthcoming soon.

The mayor said to the family of Brooks that she was ” sincerely sorry for your loss” and hoped they would take some comfort in the “swift action taken today” and the meaningful reform to come.

Shields released this statement to the media: “For more than two decades, I have served alongside some of the finest women and men in the Atlanta Police Department. Out of a deep and abiding love for this City and this department, I offered to step aside as police chief. APD has my full support, and Mayor Bottoms has my support on the future direction of this department. I have faith in the Mayor, and it is time for the city to move forward and build trust between law enforcement and the communities they serve.”

The post Atlanta Police Chief Erika Shield resigns after officer-involved shooting appeared first on Atlanta INtown Paper.