Thread by @antiracistsouth

I keep seeing people ask #StopCopCity activists the same question:

“bUt IsN’t MoRe TrAiNiNg A gOoD tHiNg?”

The short answer is, of course, NO! #AbolishThePolice

Let’s do a quick THREAD 🧵🪡 about the person who heads up training for Atlanta Police Department:

Fred Watson.

Major Fred Watson is the APD “Training Academy Director” in charge of all training for Atlanta Police. He is also on the GA POST advisory board.

Watson oversees the “Police Curriculum” sub-group for the South River Forest Cop City Task Force— he’s very involved in Cop City.

Watson was an early member of the notoriously violent & corrupt RED DOG Unit, focused on narcotics.

Anyone who KNOWS about RED DOG knows this is a huge 🚩— it had to be disbanded in 2011.

RED DOG was similar to the SCORPION unit that killed #TyreNichols

thepioneeronline.com/47450/metro/th…

In 2005, Watson was promoted to the rank of investigator & was assigned to the Fugitive Unit —probably the closest modern equivalent to the early Slave Patrols from which Atlanta Police Department originated. Watson is trained as a hunter (for the state). theconversation.com/the-racist-roo…

By 2007, Watson was a Sergeant (two years after killing a man while on Red Dog patrol) & was likely in a leadership role during the infamous 2009 “Atlanta Eagle Raid” when Red Dog + APD violently raided a gay bar on flimsy grounds, using homophobic slurs. atlantaeagleraid.com

In 2014, Watson was assigned to the School Detectives Unit & worked w/ the Atlanta Public School System. Some of his early “training” materials “Gang Awareness for School Resource Officers” 👀

Almost 100% of ATL school arrests in 2014 were of Black youth.
805315526817965149.weebly.com

In 2015 Watson was assigned to the Special Weapons & Tactics Unit as the SWAT Commander. Watson was instrumental in doubling the size of the SWAT team and creating partnerships with other law enforcement agencies (similar to the multiagency task-force that killed #Tortuguita).

In 2018 Watson was assigned to the Homeland Security Unit and led the operations of the Intelligence, Electronic Surveillance, and Cybercrimes Units. By this time Atlanta had installed upwards of 10,000 cameras making it the most surveilled city in the nation. #DefundThePolice

In 2019, Watson was made a captain & assigned to the Special Enforcement Section, over the operations of the Criminal Intelligence, Fugitive, Homeland Security, Permits Units, & Narcotics. This likely included liaising w/ corporations & federal agencies.
theintercept.com/2018/06/25/att…

Watson was later promoted to Major and assigned to the Community Oriented Policing Section (COPS).  Within COPS, Major Watson led the following units: Community Liaison, Special Projects, Path Force, Police Athletic League (PAL) & partnership with the Atlanta Police Foundation.

In 2021, Watson was assigned to the Contingency Operations Division, responsible for researching, developing, planning, and implementing a strategic force for all significant events in the City of Atlanta, including protests, marches, rallies, etc. public.powerdms.com/APD13/document…

Watson participated in the Georgia International Law Enforcement Exchange (GILEE) program via Georgia State University, where he spent time in Israel & Germany learning and sharing policing concepts with the Israel Police & the German Police University. roughdraftatlanta.com/2022/09/26/wit…

In Watson’s most recent January 2022 GILEE visit to Germany, he was trained in German-style “riot control”. APD delegates were clear that they saw this exchange as important for preparing for the 2026 #FIFAWorldCup in Atlanta. roughdraftatlanta.com/2022/09/26/wit…

Many of Watson’s correspondence with Atlanta Police Foundation & the #CopCity CSAC board have been exposed thanks to @atlanta_press — including a survey from APF’s bank lender showing 43% of officers training at Cop City would come from out of state.
atlpresscollective.com/2023/01/24/ove…