We encourage our officers to be innovative and take reasonable risks in their policing activities. However, we recognize that humans will make mistakes, and we distinguish between honest mistakes of the head and mistakes of the heart. That is why ACCPD and the ACC Unified Government believe in a system of progressive disciplinary action. When appropriate, we rely on coaching, counseling, and training before jumping directly to disciplinary action. However, when discipline is necessary and appropriate, it is administered proportionally and with gradually increasing severity for each instance of sustained misconduct. Though some more serious cases of sustained misconduct warrant higher levels of disciplinary action immediately, up to and including termination, the goal is to positively change officers’ behavior or performance before it can escalate. Additionally, not all allegations of misconduct are ultimately sustained. Officers are not disciplined when thorough investigation proves that allegations of misconduct are unfounded, not sustained, or the officer’s actions were within policy.