Mayor Andre Dickens, APD Chief Rodney Bryant lay out plan to combat crime in Atlanta
ATLANTA, Ga. (CBS46) - Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens, along with APD Chief Rodney Bryant, stood before the podium at the Public Safety Headquarters to detail their latest efforts in combating crime in the city.
The mayor began by thanking the Atlanta police force for their efforts in deterring crime.
“You may not realize that the Atlanta police homicide unit exceeds the national average in closing these cases by arrest. To date they have closed 72% of homicide cases by arrest. The national average is 54%.” he said.
But, Mayor Dickens also acknowledged the need to go further to reduce violent crime, calling attention to repeat offenders.
“Many of the criminals we encounter are repeat offenders,” he said.
Chief Bryant added that an alarming amount of offenders make bail and end up back on the street by the time their police reports are generated.
To combat the influx of crime, Mayor Dickens announced the city would launch a “Repeat Offenders Unit” in an effort to stop criminals from committing further crimes.
The unit would involve a partnership between the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office, the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office and the Department of Community Supervision to streamline the process of arresting and targeting offenders before they make it back onto the street.
Dickens also announced that his administration was working to create a backlog court watch program with aims to reduce the heavy backlog of pending criminal cases in Atlanta.
“We know there is a backlog of pending cases that go before the pandemic. Soon residents will be able to view the cases that are making their way through the system, see the cases and see the trial. It will also show judges that there are community members and victims that care and they understand that they want to see good sentences as they relate to violent crime.” Dickens said.
Chief Bryant said his department would also look into increasing the APD gang task force, citing a significant amount of crimes in the city as gang-related.
The mayor concluded by asking those interested in joining the police force to sign up at the APD recruiting event at Lenox Square Mall in Buckhead this weekend.
“I’m asking those who want to join this force to please do so,” the Mayor said.
His message for criminals:
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