With just over two weeks until Atlanta hosts its first FIFA World Cup match, Fulton County Sheriff Pat Labat has announced a new policy that could drastically decrease the number of people incarcerated at the city jail.
On Tuesday, Labat issued an official order that people arrested for most misdemeanor offenses can no longer be booked into Fulton County Jail. Certain exceptions will be made for cases involving domestic violence, sexual assault, and aggravated offenses like a third DUI conviction.
Community advocates like the Black Futurists Group, Women on the Rise, and the Southern Center for Human Rights said this measure will be most effective if it is accompanied with local law enforcement increasing their use of the Center for Diversion and Services.
The center is a collaborative project between Grady Health System, the city of Atlanta, and Fulton County where people arrested for low-level violations can access immediate services like a shower and a warm meal. They are then connected with case managers from Atlanta’s Policing Alternatives and Diversion Initiative who can help them get housing, identification, and mental health counseling or begin substance-use treatment.
“This has been a long time coming,” Robb Pitts, chair of the Fulton County Board of Commissioners, said at a Thursday press conference in the Fulton County Government Center praising the new policy.
“That diversion center is a jewel that we have here and it is not being utilized to its fullest capacity,” Pitts said.
The center is capable of handling 40 diversions per day, but since it opened in January 2025, it has yet to average more than 10. According to Pitts, at its peak the center was diverting eight people per day, but in recent months it has been getting even less use.
Low-level misdemeanor arrests that are diversion eligible, like shoplifting, criminal trespass, and possession of less than 1 ounce of marijuana, are driving the recent spike in jail population according to a report released by the ACLU of Georgia earlier this year.
The organization’s 2023 report found that 85 people had been incarcerated that year for a misdemeanor charge only. By 2025, that number skyrocketed to 449.
Devin Franklin, senior movement policy counsel with the Southern Center for Human Rights and a former public defender, explained during the press conference that in the eyes of the law, misdemeanors are categorically less serious than felonies.
In Georgia, judges are required to set a bond amount — typically between $500 and $1,000 — for people charged with a misdemeanor and can sentence a person to a maximum of 12 months in jail.
“Anyone who is in custody for a misdemeanor in Fulton County is very likely only incarcerated because of poverty,” Franklin said.
Reducing the jail’s population is also a central component to addressing the unconstitutional conditions for incarcerated people in Fulton County, according to a report published by the U.S. Department of Justice after a 16-month investigation into the facility.
To avoid a federal takeover of the jail, Fulton County and the sheriff’s office entered a consent decree with the Justice Department in early 2025.
While concerns about the humanitarian crisis at Fulton County jail have been making headlines for years, worries about overcrowding have grown in recent months as the city prepares for a massive influx of international tourists for the World Cup this summer.
On May 20, the Board of Commissioners unanimously passed a resolution requesting the sheriff use his authority to decline certain misdemeanor arrests at the jail.
In a statement Tuesday, Labat, who did not attend the Thursday press conference, said this had been in the works since last October when he requested a formal legal opinion from the county attorney on his ability to implement this new policy.
“As the Sheriff, it is my responsibility to implement a pathway forward that aligns with what is best for our residents, community public safety, and the consent decree,” he said.
Although the commissioners’ resolution specifically mentioned preparations for World Cup events, the sheriff’s office announced it does not plan to implement the rule until July 1, two weeks after the first Atlanta match. According to the sheriff’s statement, this will allow his office time to consult with other justice partners and hold a community town hall to discuss the change.
Pitts told reporters Thursday that he is planning to meet with the sheriff to find out if the department can begin implementation before the World Cup begins.
“It is my hope that if it’s successful, and I have every reason to believe that it will be, I would like to see it become a permanent policy within Fulton County,” Pitts said.
While the county’s public safety World Cup preparations are focused on incarceration, at the city level, Atlanta Police and Atlanta Fire Rescue are preparing for the half a million tourists the event will bring this summer.
Police Chief Darin Schierbaum and Fire Chief Rod Smith announced at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Tuesday that the city had implemented a new technology that can translate 911 and 311 calls from any language into English.
Schierbaum noted that while additional officers would be deployed throughout the city in the coming weeks, they won’t be working with federal immigration authorities to arrest or detain undocumented people.
World Cup preparations
Atlanta Police
- Starting June 1, personnel will wear new uniforms designed to be more recognizable to international visitors
- 750 additional officers on duty (250 from other local, state, and federal agencies)
- Strategically deploy bilingual officers, including 68 who are certified Spanish-language translators
- Plan to temporarily close roads near the stadium if pedestrian overflow becomes dangerous
Atlanta Fire Rescue
- Firefighters to work normal 24-hour shifts
- Up to 300 firefighters ready to deploy as paramedics
- Local fire departments on standby to assist in an emergency
Officials confirmed that the overtime budgets for the two departments would be reimbursed by the federal government after the tournament. APD’s budget is $24 million and fire and rescue’s is $18 million.
Read More:
- Your Guide to World Cup Watch Parties and Festivals in Atlanta
- World Cup Sparks Fears of Unhoused People Being Jailed
- Atlanta Police Asked for a Diversion Option for Low-Level Arrests. They Rarely Use It.
- Alleged Medical Neglect at Fulton Jail Cost a Man His Legs and Fingers
- ACLU Report Calls Out Fulton County Jail for Overcrowding and Humanitarian Crisis
