Leander J. Robinson was sworn in last Monday as East Point's new chief of police, succeeding Frank L. Brown.

Leander J. Robinson was sworn in last Monday as East Point's new chief of police, succeeding Frank L. Brown. Brown, who served as police chief for 10 years, retired May 31.Robinson, an Atlanta native, was chief of police for the city of Decatur before accepting this position.
Robinson met with his officers last week at the 7:45 a.m. roll call, where concerns were listed and ways to address them were discussed. He did the same at the 3:45 and 11:45 p.m. roll calls."It was very clear to me that the first thing they wanted was additional training," Robinson said.Robinson says he will focus on providing better training for his officers, which will, in turn, provide better police services in the community."I believe I have the vision to be the police chief because I have a demonstrated commitment to community-oriented policing, which has been embraced by East Point since 1996," Robinson said. One change he plans to implement is the attendance of patrol officers at community meetings."They need to know them, see them and develop a relationship," Robinson said.Robinson sees this as one method of bringing the community and the police department closer together in working as a team.
He also wants to make sure the police department is responsive to community concerns and is trained to deal with East Point's diverse population."If we have a better understanding of diverse cultures, we can better perform our duties," he said.Robinson is a graduate of Atlanta's Clark College, the Southern Police Institute at the University of Louisville and the F.B.I. National Academy in Quantico, Va.

Police officer donates kidney to nephew

Police officers are sworn to serve and protect the lives of citizens of their surrounding communities.That is exactly what East Point Police Officer Eddie Christmas recently did for his nephew.Christmas, 37, was scheduled to under go surgery to donate a kidney to his 2-year-old nephew.
"He's been on dialysis since he was born because of kidney failure," Christmas said. "I'm doing this because I love him."Christmas had known since his nephew's birth that there might be a possibility he would need to apply to be a donor for the toddler.His nephew had recently become in dire need of the transplant and the family had been trying to get a match and any blood tests run for some time."My sister, my nephew's mom, went in June to get blood tested, but she couldn't do it, so they told me that I was possibly the next best match," Christmas said.Last week, Christmas found out he was a match and immediately scheduled to have the surgery done.Christmas said his recovery time as the donor would be about four to six weeks.In order to be considered as a donor, a person must not be diabetic or have high blood pressure problems or any other physical ailment.
"It was some pretty intense testing that I had to go through," Christmas said."They go through every test imaginable."He was scheduled for surgery at Emory University Hospital Friday with his nephew receiving the kidney a short time later at Eggleston Children's Hospital.Christmas said he is thankful to the East Point Police Department for their support of him and his family.

Officer of the Month for October 2005

To: Officer Kenneth Houston
From: Major Jackie Fletcher
Reference: Officer of the Month for October 2005
On behalf of Chief Frank L. Brown and the Division Commanders it is my distinct pleasure to inform you that you have been selected as Officer of the Month for October 2005.
You have been selected because of your outstanding service to the City of East Point based on your actions on Sunday, August 28, 2005 when you responded to a robbery in progress at 1526 E. Forrest Ave, East Point, Ga. 30344.
On Sunday, August 28, 2005 Officer Michaud and Officer Houston responded to a robbery in progress call to 1526 E Forrest Ave. Officer Michaud arrived on the scene first and interviewed the victim who stated that while he was working in his yard, he was confronted by two males who attempted to carjack him of his vehicle. The victim further stated that he was able to get away from the perpetrators and used his cell phone to call 911 to give a description and direction of the perpetrators.
Officer Houston took it upon himself to learn the geographical layout of his patrol area, positioned himself ahead of the perpetrators. Officer Houston observed a suspect matching the physical description on the footbridge over the Marta Rail Station at Main St. Officer Houston demonstrated good leadership ability by setting up a containment perimeter around the footbridge by posting officers at various locations to keep the suspect from escaping. At which time Officer Houston was able to apprehend the suspect with the aid of other officers, without incident, on the footbridge. The victim was transported to the scene where he positively identified the suspect as the one who tempted to carjack him.
Officer Houston’s work efforts were critical in bringing this case to a closure and the arrest of the suspect.
Therefore, this letter is to commend Officer Houston for a job well done. As a result of his training and keen observation skills and commitment to teamwork, helped solve this case and prevent further harm to the general public.
His work ethics reflects well upon this department and it is my privilege to commend him for his actions.
I am recommending that this letter of Officer of the Month be placed in his personnel file.
Major J. Fletcher
Field Operations Division, Div. Cdr

Officer of the Month for August 2005

To: Officer Jens Mullner
From: Major Jackie Fletcher
Reference: Officer of the Month for August 2005

On behalf of Chief Frank L. Brown and the Division Commanders it is my distinct pleasure to inform you that you have been selected as Officer of the Month for August 2005

You have been selected because of your outstanding service to the City of East Point based on your actions on Tuesday, July 19, 2005 when you apprehended a suspect who had committed a home invasion robbery at Lot 59 Longview Dr, East Point Ga. 30344.

On Tuesday, July 19, 2005 Officer Mullner responded to Lot 59 Longview Dr to investigate a report of a home invasion robbery that had occurred approximately half an hour prior to the report. With the aid of a language interpreter, he was able to obtain a detailed description of the perpetrator, and relayed this information to other responding units. Later, that same day, he began to patrol the area and observed an individual matching the physical description provided earlier by the victim. The suspect was detained for investigation purposes, at which time the victim was contacted and brought to scene where she positively identified the suspect as the perpetrator that forced his way into her home and robbed her.

The victim was very grateful to Officer Mullner because it was due to his attention to detail and keen observation skills that led to the apprehension and arrest of the suspect.

The suspect was checked through the Georgia Crime and Information Center network and shown to have an extensive criminal history for burglary and armed robbery.

Therefore, this letter is to commend Officer Mullner for a job well done. This incident shows that he demonstrated self-initiative and also a genuine concern in protecting and serving the citizens of this city

I am recommending that this letter of Officer of the Month be placed in Officer Mullner’s personnel file.

Major J. Fletcher
Field Operations Division, Div. Cdr