Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens, Atlanta Police Department Chief Darin Schierbaum, and representatives from community outreach programs such as Next Level Engagement Center (formerly Next Level Boys Academy), the Offender Alumni Association, Soccer in the Streets, Blueprint 58, and Raising Expectations took part in a press conference on crime reduction Thursday morning inside Salem Bible Church.
Crimes against people, which include homicides and aggravated assaults, are down 17%, according to the data provided by the City of Atlanta. Property crimes, which include robbery and burglary, are down 7% year to year as well.
The mayor and police chief took the opportunity to announce that overall crime in Atlanta is down across the board. “Public safety has been a top priority of my administration since day one,” Dickens said. “We ended the year with citywide major crimes against people down more than 15%. I don’t put an s on my chest and say I’m going to solve this all by myself. This is a group project.”
During his presentation of the data, Schierbaum mentioned the city will be hosting the College Football Championship in (January) 2025 and a stage of the 2026 World Cup so there will need to be an uptick in police activity around the city. According to Schierbaum 37,000 cameras around the city are on the Connect Atlanta network.
“Every fifth day of the year (2023) you have shut down a drug operation,” Schierbaum, who said he meets with the mayor at least five times per week, said while giving credit to his fellow Atlanta Police Department officers, detectives, and units. “I want the citizens to know that we are going to stay and fight.”
Not all of the data that was shared that morning was on the positive side of the ledger, however. Motor vehicle theft is up 61% from 2022 to 2023, according to the data. Shoplifting is also up 22% from 2022 to 2023. Dickens and Schierbaum both say more patrols are crucial to further dropping crime numbers. Accelerated efforts to hire more officers and 911 operators are underway, according to Schierbuam.
Along with Dickens and Schierbaum, Dr. Joseph L. Williams, senior pastor at Salem Bible Church, took the stage and spoke of how the neighborhood around the church has become much safer through collaboration and communication with the police department.
“I’ve never seen a mayor, police chief and administration work together like this,” said Williams who added that he has been in the ministry in the area for the past 25 years. “I’ve never felt like an adequate partner like we are now.”