Deputy Chief Renee Propes is an Atlanta native that joined the Atlanta Police Department in January 1984. She was promoted to the rank of Deputy Chief in November of 2010 and assigned to run the newly created Community Services Division. As the Commander of the Community Services Division, Deputy Chief Propes is responsible for the Airport Section, The Special Operations Section, and the Community Oriented Policing Section.Deputy Chief Propes began her career with the Atlanta Police Department by graduating at the top of her academy class. Upon graduation her first assignment was Zone 3. After several years working as a beat officer in Zone 3, she went to work in the Special Operations Section as a member of the Tactical Anti-Crime Unit which functioned as a city wide stake-out and decoy squad. Deputy Chief Propes then became one of the founding members of the Red Dog Unit focusing on street level drug interdiction. After many years as a Red Dog officer, she was promoted to Investigator in 1992 and went to work in the Narcotics and Vice Unit. In 1993, she was promoted to Sergeant and returned to Zone 3 as a sector supervisor and eventually went to work in the Auto Theft Unit where she honed her knowledge of the investigative clear-up process and the FBI’s Uniform Crime Report system.
In 1996, Deputy Chief Propes was promoted to Lieutenant and took on the role of the Assistant Commander at the Airport where she directly supervised the Explosive Detection and Disposal Team. She was also tapped by then Chief Beverly Harvard to be a Venue Commander during the Centennial Olympic Games in Atlanta. In 1998, Propes became the Commander of the Crimes Against Children Unit and ran that unit for more than 5 years. Her expertise in the area of the exploitation of children led to her representation on a variety of national panels and speaking engagements to include the Georgia Week in Review. It was also during this time period that she became an active Hostage Negotiator responding to countless hostage situations, barricaded gunmen, and suicide attempts. Her interest in this area of law enforcement led to her being one of the first officers in the Atlanta Police Department to attend the Crisis Intervention Team training and become an active member of the Crisis Intervention Team. This concept provides the knowledge and skills to First Responders so they are able to respond humanely and compassionately to situations involving people in crisis and provide successful outcomes through mental health intervention to all involved parties. Deputy Chief Propes remains committed to this law enforcement function and stays active with the mental health and social service partnerships that were created.
In 2002, Deputy Chief Propes returned to the Field Operations Division and seized a variety of work opportunities first as the Commander of the Underground Precinct, then as the Zone 5 Day Watch Mobile Commander, then as the Zone 2 Assistant Commander before being promoted to the rank of Major and taking over as the Commander of Zone 6 in December of 2004. Zone 6 covers the eastern portion of the City of Atlanta. It is one of the most diverse areas of the city with more than 30 named neighborhoods all with very active community organizations. Her expertise in the community oriented style of policing helped foster tremendous relationships between the Atlanta Police Department and the communities served that remain in place today. After 5 years as the Zone 6 Commander, she took over as the Commander of the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in 2010 where she commanded more than 150 officers at the world’s busiest airport. After less than a year in this position she was promoted to Deputy Chief and moved to her current assignment.
Deputy Chief Propes earned her Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice from Georgia State University and her Master of Science from Saint Leo University. She is a graduate of the 231st Session of the FBI National Academy in Quantico, Virginia and a graduate of the Senior Management Institute for Police in Boston, Massachusetts. She is also a POST certified instructor. She has received numerous accolades, awards, and commendations during her more than 27 years with the Atlanta Police Department.
She currently resides in Zone 6 where she personifies the community oriented policing philosophy with her openness and responsiveness to the citizens of this city whether on duty or off.