It’s no surprise that crime is one of the biggest issues facing Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms. And she’s getting criticism from both those who want to see a crackdown on crime and those who want to see concrete police reforms, particularly after the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis and then Rayshard Brooks in Atlanta.
The city has since dealt with the departure of the police chief, widespread concerns about morale in the police department and further concerns that reforms for response methods had been implemented. Oh, and the murder rate reached a level not seen since 1998.
After a 7-year-old girl was shot to death in Buckhead riding in a car near Phipps Plaza, Councilman Howard Shook released a statement that, while not explicitly naming her, pointed directly at the mayor’s office for minimizing concerns, “Spare us from the lie that the steady outflow of our officers isn’t as bad as it is. And please, not another throw-away press conference utterly devoid of game-changing action steps,” said Shook.
It appears Bottoms is doing something.
This week, her administration made two announcements on crime and public safety reforms.
Bottoms laid out the One Atlanta: One APD Immediate Action Plan to address violent crime.
“The spike in violent crime in Atlanta and across the country must be addressed by both immediate and long-term actions,” said Mayor Bottoms. “The One Atlanta: One APD Immediate Action Plan will address crime, and also the systemic issues that lead to violence.”
Bottoms has laid out a number of actions to be implemented, including:
- Expand enforcement of nuisance properties
- Focus additional resources and increase targeted enforcement on gangs and gun violence
- Expand the Operation Shield camera network
- Support neighborhood safety planning
- Continue to focus on disrupting street racing and auto crimes
- Explore a new Public Safety Training Academy
- Improve APD recruiting and retention
“Our Administration remains focused on strengthening public safety and enacting criminal justice reforms,” said Mayor Bottoms. “We will continue to champion initiatives and policies that reduce crime and violence, address the root causes of these problems and ensure fairness and accountability in the criminal justice system.”
Her administration has also introduced several pieces of legislation and administrative orders to the city council to address issues in a range of public safety areas.
An Administrative Order will require a council to explore recommendations for a new public training facility and overview of steps for implementation.
Perhaps most importantly, an order also requires a council to provide recommendations for APD recruiting and retention.
One piece includes a realignment of Department of Corrections staff to maintain operations but also transition several positions to support and strengthen community and public safety needs. They are also moving forward with pay and classification changes for improving recruitment and retention for 911 Call Center staff.
