Statement from the Atlanta Police Department (APD) website:

“For more than two decades, I have served alongside some of the finest men and women in the Atlanta Police Department.

Out of a deep and abiding love for this City and this department, I offered to step aside as police chief.

APD has my full support, and Mayor Bottoms has my support on the future direction of this department.

I have faith in the Mayor, and it is time for the city to move forward and build trust between law enforcement and the communities they serve”

This statement is on the Atlanta Police Department (APD) website at: joining the Atlanta Police Department in 1995 and achieving the ranks of Patrol Officer, Sergeant, Lieutenant, Major and Deputy Chief, Erika Shields was appointed as the 24th Chief of the City of Atlanta Police Department in December 2016.

She joined the Atlanta Police Department after a career as a stockbroker.