Atlanta crime: Police recruiting, street racing, catching repeat offenders are public safety priorities

ATLANTA - Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens and Police Chief Rodney Bryant said city hall and the police department are stepping up efforts to recruit police officers and targeting repeat offenders and known gang members. 

The press conference at Public Safety Headquarters comes after an Atlanta City Council public safety task force described a broad gang footprint in Atlanta. Atlanta police also arrested a man they believe shot and killed a cyclist on the Atlanta BeltLine in February. 

Dickens began by applauding the Atlanta Police Department, said its rate of closing homicide investigations in the first two-plus months of 2022 exceeds the national average.

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"I want to stress to the would-be defenders out there, if you think you want to commit a crime in this city, think again," Dickens said. 

Both Dickens and officials with the Atlanta Police Department reiterated its desire for residents to buy-in and help prevent crimes. 

"I've said this before, that fighting crime takes all of us working together," Dickens said. 

Repeat offenders

"Repeat offenders continue to be a challenge for the City of Atlanta," Bryant said. 

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Several Atlanta-area law enforcement agencies collaborate to form a repeat offender unit. The Atlanta Police Department, Fulton County Sheriff's Office, Fulton County District Attorney's Office and Atlanta Department of Community Supervision all contribute to the repeat offender unit. Bryant thinks the task force will help law enforcement target repeat offenders aggressively. 

Bryant indicated challenges the department faces in targeting repeat offenders, who sometimes bond out quickly and are found in possession of weapons. 

Gang task force

Gang activity is a problem throughout the state, Bryant said.

"I think that gangs contribute to upwards of 70% of the crimes that we're seeing in the city of Atlanta and the state of Georgia," Bryant said. 

Bryant said a rise in police personnel will help bolster the size of its gang task force, which targets known gang members.

Street racing

Bryant said some street racing incidents are beginning to subside, but indicated it is still a priority. 

The city is working with Georgia State Patrol and implementing technological methods to combat street racers. The city placed cameras and license plate readers at the intersection of 10th Street and Piedmont Road where street racers defaced an iconic rainbow crosswalk.

As a quick-fix, the city installed steel plates at the intersection. 

"It's definitely not a permanent solution, and it's not the ideal solution long-term," Dickens said. 

Bryant said the police department street racing and loud cars at night is not exclusively a quality of life issue. It's a dangerous crime the department intends to prioritize.  

"It's the equivalent of a person taking a weapon and firing it indiscriminately into a crowd," Bryant said.

Recruiting new officers

Dickens said there are two new classes of Atlanta Police Department recruits in training. 

"We're excited to we're having additional resources, people willing to become police officers," Bryant said.

Bryant said the efforts to recruit new officers are putting the department on track to return to the police force to the size it was prior to the pandemic. 

Bryant said he presented his spring and summer crime plan to City Hall, which details how the department will distribute resources. Atlanta police could bring retired officers to cover parks and the Atlanta BeltLine to allow current officers to increase street patrols. 

Youth offenders

Bryant said a nighttime basketball program is one of several programs that could provide minors and alternative to activities that lead to trouble.

Dickens said the city intends to create an office with the task of creating programs, including money-making opportunities and extracurricular activities, for Atlanta kids and teens. 

Backlog of criminal cases

Residents can view cases making their way through the courts. 

Dickens said the system provides transparency and shows judges residents want to see "good sentencing" regarding violent crime. 

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