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 The top security man in the world is heading up the new Atlanta Police Foundation and says he’s excited about the opportunity to help make the city a safer place. Named president and CEO of the foundation, David Wilkinson, a 21-year veteran of the U.S. Secrect Service, comes to the post with the highest credentials. He was picked by Presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton for their personal protective coverage. He was with President Bush on September 11, 2001, and later received a distinguished service award for his incredible supervision of agents and decisive actions on that fateful day. More recently, Wilkinson served as Special Agent in Charge of the Secret Service for Georgia, responsible for security at last year’s G-8 Summit at Sea Island, Georgia. Leaders of the world’s eight most industrialized nations attended the event and it went off without a flaw. Accustomed to working in partnership with federal, state and local law enforcement and security officials, Wilkinson says he looks forward to working with the Atlanta Police Department, Mayor Shirley Franklin and corporate leaders to implement security measures and enhance the image of Atlanta. The Atlanta Police Foundation was created by a diverse group of business and community leaders in 2003 to secure resources and be an advocate for the Atlanta Police Department and its employees and to serve as a voice of the community on public safety issues. 
The foundation is currently launching a $3.75 million campaign to support five programs of the Atlanta Police Department: a high quality recruitment program to recruit the best and the brightest officers to the APD, a training program to ensure that the officers and command staff of the APD have the most advanced training possible to fight crime in the city, a scholarship program to encourage officers to finish their degrees and seek higher levels of education, an affordable housing program so more officers can live inside the city limits of Atlanta, and the much awaited return of the Mounted Horse Patrol. |
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