APD to step up patrols in Midtown, Old Fourth Ward, AUC, West End, and other neighborhoods

Expect to see more Atlanta Police officers patrolling parts of the city — including neighborhoods which have recently seen upticks in brazen crimes.

Thanks to a $500,000 federal grant, says the APD, more officers will be deployed over the next 60 days in four key parts of the city: Atlanta University Center Corridor, with an emphasis on Beckwith Street and Greensferry Avenue; Peachtree Street Corridor between Midtown and Buckhead; The Mall West End Corridor, Including Oak and Lee Streets and Oglethorpe Avenue; and Old Fourth Ward, Virginia Highlands, Inman Park, and Candler Park neighborhoods, including Auburn, N. Highland, and Euclid Avenues and Boulevard.

The department’s also working with Georgia Tech and Georgia State University to prepare for students’ return to campus in the fall.

Says the APD:

Citizens can expect to see an increased officer presence in those areas, including units on bicycles and motorcycles, on foot and in patrol cars. The goal is to increase contact with citizens and reduce crime, with a particular focus on robberies, burglaries, auto thefts and larcenies from vehicles.

The Department will also be deploying officers to enforce traffic, quality of life and code enforcement violations. The overtime detail will augment, not replace, the Department’s 24-hour presence throughout the City of Atlanta.

Included in the APD’s release about the initiative was a quote from Police Chief George Turner, about fewer crimes being committed in the city.

”This is a multi-faceted, comprehensive approach to crime-fighting that we anticipate will make a significant dent in crime over the next two months... While we have had great success in reducing crime in the past few years, our work isn’t done until everyone in the City feels safe — in their homes, on the streets or visiting any one of our great attractions.”

That reads much differently from the messaging we heard from his predecessor, Richard Pennington: