APD Names New Commander for Zone 6

The following was posted to the Atlanta Police Department Facebook page late yesterday afternoon:

Police Chief George Turner today announced the appointment of a new major to take the reins in east Atlanta’s Zone 6 precinct and a veteran commander to lead the newly-reconfigured School Detectives Section.

Major Keith Meadows will move as commander of the Zone 6 precinct to lead the School Detectives Section, the public safety arm of the Atlanta Public Schools system. In his place, Chief Turner has promoted Captain Timothy Peek, currently APD Night Commander since January 2013, to the major in command of Zone 6.

Major Peek, who has been with APD for almost 20 years, served previously as the department’s liaison as Deputy Director to the regional High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force (HIDTA) and is also a graduate of the FBI National Academy. He has also been a sergeant in the Homicide Unit, an investigator and patrol officer.

“I’m confident that Major Peek will bring a renewed passion and commitment to reducing crime in Zone 6 that we need right now,” Chief Turner said. “Major Peek’s service as our HIDTA liaison will be helpful at bringing the know-how to work collaboratively with other agencies to tackle crime from a big-picture perspective. He is a consummate professional and I expect us to make strides to reduce crime in east Atlanta.”

Chief Turner also expressed confidence about the new partnership between the Atlanta Police Department and the Atlanta Public Schools system. The two agencies are working out an agreement for full-time officers to work inside of APS’ middle and high schools. Currently, Atlanta Police officers work inside of the schools on an off-duty, part-time basis. Ultimately, the goal is to have more than 70 full-time, on-duty police officers providing security inside Atlanta public schools.

“We believe a sustained, fulltime presence of Atlanta Police officers in our schools will help provide a safe learning environment for the system’s students,” said Chief Turner. “Major Meadows will bring a wealth of experience and knowledge to his role as the commander for this important section.”

Major Meadows has served as the commander for Zone 6, which includes most of the eastern portion of the city of Atlanta, since January 2012. Meadows has been with APD for more than 27 years, including two years as commander for the Major Crimes Section.