Last month, Zone 2, which comprises the entire Greater Buckhead area, was formally acknowledged with the Crime Reduction Award for achieving the greatest reduction in overall Part 1 Crimes for 2021. Zone 2 was down 8% in crime compared with 2020, and down 12% compared with 2019. By comparison, the city overall was down 1%. This was a tremendous accomplishment during a year in which we experienced a reopening of our city and a return to our normal daily influx of people to work, shop and play in Buckhead.

While I am proud of what we have accomplished, we still have challenges to address. Although only accounting for 9% of the total crime in Zone 2, violent crime was up 15% in 2021, and that is an area of significant concern. The persistent presence of “Waterboys” selling water on our streets also continues to be a serious problem. We’ll work to address these challenges and others in the coming year.

As we move into 2022, I look forward to building on the partnerships we have and maintaining the highest level of performance possible. All the men and women of Zone 2 value the relationship that we have with the communities in which we serve and appreciate your continued support. The unveiling of the new Village Precinct which is scheduled to open its doors in May represents a commitment by the APD and the administration to provide enhanced levels of patrols to our busiest areas in Zone 2. Even before we open these doors, we’ve assigned five officers to this precinct to dedicate their time to Zone 2. With the goal set at adding an additional 12 to 24 officers to staff this precinct, this is certainly an exciting time to be in Zone 2. My staff and I are confident that we have the blueprint in place to achieve the same success this year that we saw in 2021.

Major Andrew Senzer

Atlanta Police Zone 2 Commander

Zone 2 is the recipient of the Crime Reduction Award which recognizes officers’ efforts to deter crime in the Greater Buckhead area and community partners’ investment in public safety. Major Senzer’s guest blog highlights the APD’s crime fighting efforts, successes and future security tactics. Learn more

Two years ago, the Atlanta Police Foundation and the Buckhead Coalition came together to address growing public safety concerns in Buckhead. Since then, we have gathered a coalition of residents, businesses, as well as civic and community groups to work in concert with the Atlanta Police Department to garner resources and create real-time initiatives to reduce crime in Buckhead.

As Zone 2 Commander Maj. Senzer reports in this issue, our efforts are working. The recent City elections for Mayor and City Council were dominated by discussions of how to reduce crime. Our safety concerns are resonating at City Hall and prompting real-time action.

Our collective efforts have sparked special Buckhead police patrols, an increased investment in surveillance technology, greater cooperation between private sector security teams and APD, and the creation of a City task force on Buckhead safety and security.

Our goal is to amplify the City’s investment in public safety infrastructure. The Buckhead Security Plan is an immediate, real-time achievement that presages the City’s long-range commitment, best manifested in the new Public Safety Training Center under construction on Key Road. That 85-acre facility, scheduled to open in Q4 2023, will deliver safety and security dividends to all Atlanta residents for the next 40 years.

Our public officials have heard our message. The public/private partnerships we’ve engendered are beginning to achieve the desired results.

We appreciate your vigilance and the commitment of APD to foster a safer Buckhead. The job is not finished, but we’ve demonstrated that citizen engagement and our bias for action can make a difference.

Jim Durrett ~ President & CEO

The Buckhead Coalition

Dave Wilkinson ~ President & CEO

The Atlanta Police Foundation

New Buckhead Village Precinct

In a recent press conference, Mayor Dickens and Chief Bryant, along with other city leaders and officials, unveiled a new Buckhead police precinct in the Buckhead Village area. Learn more

New Public Safety Task Force Created

On January 18, City Council approved the creation of a new public safety task force aimed at reducing crime in the North-end of Atlanta. Learn more

Expanded Security Patrol Fleet

In late February, the Buckhead CID’s supplemental patrol program will put into operation a third brand new co-branded cruiser (see newest vehicle above). The BCID has funded a dedicated supplemental patrol within its boundaries since March 2020, operating from 6 p.m. to 2 a.m. six days a week.