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Buckhead City committee member calls new Atlanta police precinct is a 'PR move'
City, state, and community leaders came together to cut the ribbon to welcome a new Atlanta police precinct in Buckhead. Some city committee members say they believe it will not make a difference in the area.
ATLANTA - A new police precinct in a popular Buckhead business district officially opened its doors Wednesday.
Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens, Gov. Brian Kemp, Atlanta Police and community leaders cut the ribbon on the Buckhead Village Precinct, which is located near the intersection of Peachtree Road and West Paces Ferry.
"This opening of this precinct will bolster our efforts to keep everyone who lives, works and plays in this bustling business district to keep them safe," said Mayor Dickens.
The mayor initially announced plans for the new police station shortly after he took office in January. The precinct was a joint effort between the city and Cousins Properties, which donated the space, as well as the Buckhead Coalition and Buckhead Community Improvement District, which raised $150,000 to build out the office.
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"This is a wonderful project. It means a lot, and we are living proof of what can happen when we all come together," said Juanita Baranco, chair of the Buckhead Coalition.
The precinct has 12 APD officers and 2 supervisors on duty.
"Even though we are the largest law enforcement agency in the state, we cannot do it alone. We are only effective when the partnership is there of community," said Interim Police Chief Darin Schierbaum. "There are 242 unique neighborhoods in this city and Buckhead is setting the tone, raising the bar of what that partnership looks like."
Opening the new precinct, though, did little to appease members of the Buckhead City Committee, who want to break away from the City of Atlanta to form their own government.
"He's just doing a PR move," said Sam Leneaus, Buckhead City Committee president. "Maybe he's got a net of three new police officers, but they're going to have to take police officers out of another precinct to put them here."
The police chief, however, said APD has made strides in recruiting new officers.
"As we're building the department back, we already are making great progress in our hiring," said Interim Chief Schierbaum. "We currently have 140 recruits. Think about that--140 recruits that are in our training system and we have the longest training curriculum of any police department in the state. So, we're moving in the right direction."
The mayor also pushed back on the naysayers.
"Crime is down 12% in Buckhead year over year, 12% down in Zone 2 — that's personal crimes as well as property crimes," said Mayor Dickens. "So, no matter what somebody may say, they're just talking, but we got data on our side."
Mayor Dickens also announced the city has secured the funding needed to build a new Zone 4 precinct on Atlanta's south side.