Cobb County police to create outreach and technology divisions, chief says
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Summary
Police Chief James Farrell announced an internal restructuring to create a Strategic Outreach division and a dedicated Technology division, stressing that technology must be policy-driven and balanced by relationship-building in neighborhoods.
Chief James Farrell said the Cobb County Police Department will open two new divisions this year — Strategic Outreach and a Technology division — as part of a planned restructure intended to strengthen community ties and centralize technology use.
Farrell said the Strategic Outreach division will focus on community affairs, PALS, youth leadership programs and faith-based organizations to build relationships outside of critical incidents. "When we build those relationships before we're responding to an incident, I believe people are more comfortable with the police," he said.
He described the Technology division as a unit devoted to leveraging tools that make the department "more efficient, more effective, and also make better connections in our community through it." Farrell emphasized policy safeguards: legal reviews, limited access, audit trails and transparency with the community. He specifically mentioned COB Shield and Flock license-plate readers as examples of tools governed by department policy and said the department treats those systems as "event driven" rather than general surveillance.
Farrell stressed the human element: "Technology helps us solve crimes. Relationships help us prevent crimes," he said, adding that prevention is the department's priority.
Farrell also described workforce steps tied to the restructure, saying retention depends on leadership, culture, training and clear career pathways. He said the department is installing wellness rooms at precincts and working on return-to-work policies for officers after childbirth, with policies being drafted from listening sessions and legal review.
The department's timeline for the two divisions and related policies was described as a first-quarter initiative; Farrell said the divisions will be headed by majors and will centralize existing programs under clearer leadership. He repeatedly framed technology adoption as conditional on community consultation and legal guardrails.
The remarks were made during an interview on the "Inside the District" podcast hosted by Commissioner Eric Allen. The transcript does not include formal ordinance references or a vote related to the restructuring; operational authority and implementation details remain with the department's leadership.
The department did not provide budget figures for the restructure or specific implementation dates in the transcript; those details were not specified.