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.