Public Safety
Crime in Buckhead – The Facts
The City of Atlanta is divided into six Atlanta Police Department Zones. Zone 2 covers Buckhead. The Commander of Zone 2 is Major Ailen Mitchell. There are three precincts under his command: the main one is on Maple Drive between Peachtree and East Paces Ferry and two satellite precincts are located at Lenox Square and on West Paces Ferry near Peachtree across from Whole Foods. Under Major Mitchell’s leadership and that of his predecessor, Deputy Chief Andrew Senzer, Zone 2 achieved the greatest reduction in crime for all Zones in 2021 (down 6% compared with 2020) and again in 2022 (down 14% compared with 2021.)
Integration of Cameras into the Connect Atlanta Program
Connect Atlanta enables the people and businesses of Buckhead to help keep our community safe. Participation in the program will enable our emergency responders to assess and respond to criminal activity and emergency situations. Cameras are the key.
Keep your Eye on the Fulton County Court System with CourtWatch as the Repeat Offender Tracking Unit Keeps its Eyes on Repeat Offenders
CourtWatch is a program that is designed to ensure judicial and procedural accountability involving repeat offender cases. Repeat Offenders are defined as those persons who have three or more prior felony convictions, and they are responsible for an outsized number of criminal offenses in our community. Volunteers are trained to monitor court cases to help ensure effective judicial performance after the officers of the Atlanta Police Department arrest repeat offenders.
A Repeat Offender Commission has been established to ensure that the entire legal system has real-time awareness of the criminal history of those who commit criminal acts. The Repeat Offender Commission is comprised of members from the Atlanta Police Foundation, Atlanta Police Department, Fulton County District Attorney’s Office, Fulton County Sheriff’s Office, Fulton County’s Superior and Magistrate Courts and Superior Court Administration, Fulton County Court Services Bureau, Georgia Department of Community Supervision, Georgia Bureau of Investigation, Fulton County Solicitor General’s Office, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Atlanta City Council, the Buckhead Coalition, and Midtown Alliance.
The Repeat Offender Commission established the Repeat Offender Tracking Unit in 2022 to execute the Commission’s strategic objectives while creating an atmosphere of collaboration. The Tracking Unit enables officials of the relevant city, county, state, and federal agencies to work in closer coordination, share relevant information in real time, ultimately making the criminal justice system more efficient and Atlanta a safer city.
Get a State Tax Credit While Helping to Keep our Community Safer
The LESS Crime Act was signed into law in 2022 by Governor Brian Kemp. Beginning this year, individuals and corporations can allocate some of their Georgia state tax dollars that they will pay anyway to the specific cause of public safety. Funds are spent directly to support the Atlanta Police Department to aid in the retention and recruitment of officers.
The Buckhead Security Plan: Collaborating for a Safer and More Secure Buckhead
In October of 2020 a number of public and private sector interests came together to discuss what might and should be done to address an increase in unlawful behavior in Buckhead that had reached a point where outcry from the public demanded action. The Buckhead Coalition led the effort that yielded the Buckhead Security Plan that focused on deterrence and enforcement opportunities and recommendations for policy and procedural changes. Since the launch of the plan, much has been accomplished, the most recent of which is the launch of the Buckhead Safety Alliance.
Support Safety in Buckhead with a Tax-Deductible Contribution
The Buckhead Safety Alliance employs active, off-duty APD officers with full arrest powers to patrol in three fully equipped police vehicles donated by the Atlanta Police Foundation.
APD Zone 2 Command Staff identified the five commercial corridors where patrols will operate:
- Howell Mill from Collier Road south to I-75
- Northside Parkway north from Moores Mill to the Atlanta city limit
- Peachtree Road south from Pharr Road to Brookwood Station
- Roswell Road north from East Andrews Drive to the Atlanta city limit
- Piedmont Road south from Pharr Road to I-85
The new patrols were formed following a recommendation from the Buckhead Public Safety Task Force, which identified security patrols as a key strategy for reducing crime in the area. Statistics show most of Buckhead’s crime is occurring along commercial corridors, and similar off-duty Atlanta police officer patrols have proven effective at reducing crime in Buckhead neighborhoods and within the Buckhead Community Improvement District.
The Buckhead Safety Alliance raises funds from individuals, organizations and businesses to pay for the patrols. In addition to APF’s contribution of police vehicles and administrative services, the Alliance has secured a total of $450,000 from many businesses, residents and community leaders, including $250,000 from the Buckhead Coalition and its members. Current funds will cover operating costs through the end of 2023, and the Alliance is actively seeking donations to fund the patrols in coming years. Tax-deductible donations for the security patrols can be made here.
CID-Funded Patrols
The Buckhead Community Improvement District (BCID) funds two supplemental security patrols within its boundaries. The first employs off-duty Atlanta Police Department (APD) officers who patrol the community from 6 p.m. to 2 a.m. six days a week in three police cruisers purchased by the BCID . The second is a bicycle patrol that deploys four off-duty officers who are certified as part of APD’s Bicycle Response Team (BRT) to assist on-duty patrols from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekdays. The bicycle patrol monitors parking garages and parking lots throughout the commercial district, adding visible policing to deter crime in these areas.
Each year BCID provides $660,000 to operate these patrols, and they have contributed to a significant decline in crime within Buckhead’s commercial core over the past two years. The CID also provides $590,000 a year to fund an off-duty officer traffic control program that keeps vehicles moving through key intersections across Buckhead during high-traffic hours of the day and seasons of the year.
Clean Car Campaign
Approximately 40% of crimes in Buckhead are vehicle break-ins. Livable Buckhead raises awareness of this issue and encourages the public to help reduce vehicle break-ins through its Clean Car Campaign. The campaign reinforces three key steps to make a vehicle a less appealing target for thieves: 1. Take valuables with you, 2. Hide anything of value that you can’t take before you arrive at your destination and 3. Lock your doors.
