March 6, 2007

As previously reported, the Atlanta Police Department (APD) has added 60 additional police officers to Downtown, all walking foot beats (2 shifts of 30 each).  In addition, APD has allocated an increased amount of overtime to APD’s Zone 5 personnel (Downtown and Midtown) and has also given a greater focus to auto larcenies (particularly in surface parking lots).  This increased police activity has had a very positive impact on reducing crime in Downtown, with larceny (the # 1 crime in Downtown) going down 35% in 2006.  The trend is continuing in 2007, with crime in Downtown decreasing by another 17% in January.  Currently, Downtown is leading the entire City in the terms of the greatest percentage decease in crime.

2. Also as previously reported, Central Atlanta Progress has formed the Public Safety Task Force to help improve both the reality and perception of public safety in Downtown.  McKinsey & Company is serving as a pro bono consultant to the Task Force, and the group is comprised of many stakeholders, including CAP, APD, numerous other City agencies, the Police Foundation and the Atlanta Convention and Visitors Bureau.  The Task Force has a number of various committees, and a great deal of progress has already been made in identifying issues and solutions.

3. One of the first recommendations of the Task Force was acted on February 2nd by the Atlanta Downtown Improvement District (“ADID”).  The ADID Board approved the expenditure of $245,000 for installation and operation of the first phase of a new Downtown camera monitoring system, which will be operated out of the APD’s new Zone 5 headquarters facility discussed in Paragraph 6 below.  APD will be committing additional officers to Zone 5 to monitor the cameras, and ADID will also be funding additional off-duty police officers on a 24/7 basis to help Zone 5 to respond to crimes shown on the cameras.  In particular, it is anticipated that quality-of-life crimes, such as panhandling, will have heightened response from the off-duty police officers hired by ADID.  Certain members of ADID’s Ambassador Force will also be trained as back-up monitors for the camera system.  It is anticipated that the camera system will quickly be expanded, including incorporating security cameras from property owners in Downtown. 

4. CAP and ADID are also working on two other initiatives that will have a positive impact on the new Downtown camera monitoring system.  One is a project to obtain Department of Homeland Security funding for a coordinated camera monitoring network that would link the surveillance systems of the eight other jurisdictional law enforcement agencies in Downtown (such as the MARTA Police, State Patrol, Federal Protective Service, GWCC Police), so that their respective policing efforts and incident response can be synchronized.  Additionally, there will be some common area cameras added in and around special events venues (Georgia Dome, GWCC, Georgia Aquarium, World of Coca-Cola etc.), along with other key properties in the Downtown area.  This program would expand to encompass other major regional venues, such as Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, Turner Field, the Atlanta Motor Speedway, and the Arena at Gwinnett Center, to name just a few.  But the largest concentration of cameras will be in Downtown Atlanta.  The Downtown system described above will be incorporated into this area system.  A related initiative ADID is working on with the City and the Police Foundation is an upgrade to the current COMNET system, currently used primarily in the Downtown area.  The COMNET communications systems will be upgraded, as well as adding an internet-based information sharing component that will revolutionize communications in Downtown for both daily and emergency operations.  This information-sharing program is extremely lost cost, but will provide a multitude of new features that will incorporate current and new camera systems.  These three programs will have a tremendous impact on our daily public safety and emergency preparedness posture.   

5. On January 31st, the City of Atlanta broke ground for their new state-of-the-art public safety headquarters facility in Downtown, to be located on an entire block on Garnett Street between Peachtree and Pryor streets.  The police and fire headquarters will be moving from their present locations at City Hall East.  The presence of APD’s headquarters in Downtown can only lead to increased police presence and senior staff scrutiny in Downtown.

6. Funded in large part by AmericasMart, construction is also just starting on a new headquarters for APD’s Zone 5, which will be located in the AmericasMart complex at the intersection of Spring Street and Andrew Young International Boulevard.  The new facility should be open in late March, and ADID and APD hope to have the new camera system installed and operational by then.