Buckhead Public Safety Update
Perspective
A note from Major Senzer
While violent crime continues to be APD’s main concern across the city, there are multiple challenges specific to the safety and quality of life in Buckhead specifically that we are currently facing. In addition to violent crime, such as the many incidents that have occurred in or near Lenox Mall and Phipps Plaza, there are many less-terrorizing, yet insidious issues plaguing the community including “water boys,” street racing and clubs masquerading as restaurants.
With that said, the Zone two community has been our rock. Citizens and businesses have continuously demonstrated their support for our men and women in the precinct, and we would not have been able to navigate the challenges that we faced this year as well as we have without them.
As always, we implore all residents and visitors to maintain good situational awareness while they are conducting their personal and professional business. This includes remaining alert and vigilant to suspicious vehicles and persons, limiting distractions such as cell phone screen time while in public spaces, securing vehicles and ensuring that they keep key fobs on their persons and reporting suspicious activity and crimes to 911 as soon as they observe it.
Thank you for all of your continued support, we look forward to working with the outstanding Buckhead community!
Major Andrew Senzer
Zone 2 Commander
A note from Jim Durrett and Dave Wilkinson
We hope this finds you well and safe. This is the first of what will be regular reports on our efforts to ensure a safer Buckhead.
This report is designed to give you firsthand, priority access to crime updates, challenges and public safety solutions that are being implemented specifically for Buckhead. It also identifies opportunities to get involved in the future of our community’s short and long-term public safety.
We developed and began implementing the Buckhead Security Plan in 4Q 2020. Like all such plans, various elements of it will be rolled out over time. We expect that with your input, we will enhance, adjust and improve it.
The plan is summarized below. This newsletter details out progress. The plan in its entirety can be found here.
We hope to continue to create partnerships throughout our neighborhoods that will build trust, spark ideas and achieve greater collaboration between our citizens, businesses, as well as Buckhead civic and community groups.
Implementation of the Buckhead Security Plan is a collaborative project of the Buckhead Community Improvement District, Livable Buckhead, The Buckhead Coalition, APD and APF.
Please reach out to any of us with your ideas, thoughts and public safety concerns. Together we can forge solutions that will ensure Buckhead remains a thriving and safe community.
Sincerely,
Jim Durrett ~ President & CEO
The Buckhead Coalition
Dave Wilkinson ~ President & CEO
The Atlanta Police Foundation
The Buckhead Security Plan
The Buckhead Security Plan includes near-term and longer-term actions to increase the safety and security among the people who live in Buckhead, people who work in Buckhead, and people who visit Buckhead on business, for shopping, and for entertainment. Key actions include:
Develop a strategic Buckhead Operation Shield grid that includes a concentration of Pan/Tilt/Zoom (PTZ) cameras and License Plate Readers (LPRs) to cover all major travel corridors and intersections
Fund and promote a more robust Crime Stoppers Greater Atlanta program to yield more information about crimes and criminals that leads to quicker arrests. Crime Stoppers uses anonymous tips to help solve crimes throughout the Metro Atlanta area
Expand and increase coordination between existing supplemental security patrols, within the commercial and residential areas of Buckhead
Promote a clean car campaign as needed to meet the current conditions in Buckhead
Increase Buckhead community support for the hiring, training and retention of officers to achieve a full force at APD
Work with landlords with problematic tenants to address property use that leads to illegal activity and public disturbance
Enforce the noise ordinance, and/or determine what needs to be changed to better enable enforcement
Work with the court system to address repeat offender sentencing
Progress
Operation Shield
Operation Shield, Atlanta's integrated camera program, continues to grow in Buckhead and throughout the city. These cameras and license plate readers provide critical police support and make our streets, parking lots and neighborhoods safer.
Prior to the plan’s implementation, more than 300 devices already existed throughout Buckhead/
28 new Operation Shield devices will be installed by summer 2021, and an additional 22 will be installed by the end of the year.
Operation Shield, APF and APD’s city-wide surveillance system, invites your participation. Businesses and neighborhoods can integrate privately-maintained cameras and license plate readers.
If you are interested in integrating your business’ or neighborhood’s privately maintained cameras and license plate readers – click HERE to join the installation waiting list.
To contribute funds to purchase and maintain public cameras, click HERE.
Crime Stoppers
Crime Stoppers is one of the most effective tools that police agencies have available to them. The program allows the public to remain completely anonymous while contributing valuable crime information and receiving rewards for eligible tips.
Since inception, Crime Stoppers have led to 1640 arrests and helped solve more than 2100 crimes
As part of the Buckhead Public Safety Plan, additional funds will be invested in Crime Stopper rewards, billboards and other advertising to promote the program.
Most recently, the program helped track down a suspect responsible for the burglary of a Buckhead pharmacy that was part of a series of a dozen or so burglaries of pharmacies across the Metro Atlanta area.
Judicial Review
Repeat offenders are responsible for more than 50% of part one (violent) crimes in Atlanta.
APF tracks and reports on the judicial sentencing of these repeat offenders in order to create transparency and accountability among the judges working within our complex state and local court system.
APF distributes a repeat offender report to create transparency and accountability among judges working within the Fulton County criminal justice system.
This report is distributed on an annual basis and details the adjudicated cases of repeat offenders by Fulton County Superior Court judges.
APF’s 2019 report is available HERE. The 2020 report will be available in the next edition.
COMNET
COMNET is the radio link between the Atlanta Police Department, APD off-duty neighborhood security patrols and participating corporate and private security officers throughout Atlanta.
This unique tool allows the public sector and private security officers in the city to communicate directly and coordinate their activities.
Click HERE to see the new COMNET website and request more information about how your business or security personnel can participate in the program.
News & Notes
APD Staffing
Police officer:
MORALE, RETENTION, RECRUITMENT, HIRING & TRAINING are CRUCIAL!
The Atlanta Police Force is authorized to have 2,046 officers
Attrition has thinned the ranks to 1,679, a shortfall of 367 officers
APF has joined APD to create a robust recruitment strategy to hire some 250 officers per year
APD's One Atlanta One APD Plan includes a robust recruiting strategy to hire more than 250 officers per year and build a state of the art public safety training center.
Buckhead Crimes of Interest
Lenox Mall sexual assault - arrest made
Phipps Plaza shooting - arrest made
Rolls Royce Murder - active investigation
Chick-fil-A brick throwing - active investigation
Officer Neighborhood Housing
Police presence is a critical aspect of neighborhood safety, regardless of whether an officer is on or off duty. The cost of housing in Buckhead makes it difficult for officers to live among those they serve. We are seeking to overcome this challenge by partnering with residential property managers, landlords and developers who are willing to provide leasing discounts for APD officers.
A limited number of $650 monthly subsidies are available. Visit HERE for details.
Buckhead Crime Statistics
1/1/2021 - 2/27/2021
Murder - 1
Rape - 2
Robbery - 24
Aggravated assault - 29
Burglary - 41
Larceny from auto - 474
Larceny other - 201
Auto theft - 154
Click HERE to see the latest city-wide and Zone 2 crime statistics
Spotlight
Crime Tracker
APD BUCKHEAD SUCCESS
Arrest in Lenox Mall Sexual Assault Case ~ Click HERE for more
An arrest has been made in the sexual assault incident that occurred on November 6th near Lenox Square. The incident occurred near 3393 Peachtree Rd NE. The female victim was forced to leave with the armed suspect and taken to a nearby location and sexually assaulted. The Atlanta Police Special Victims Unit (SVU) conducted a canvass of the area on November 25, while handing out BOLOS of the suspect to citizens as well as Marta PD.
On November 27th, 2020, a Marta PD officer recognized the suspect inside the Marta station from the BOLO. Marta units detained the suspect and immediately notified the APD SVU investigators. The investigators responded to the scene and took custody of the suspect. Based on the evidence presented, the suspect was arrested and identified as Dwayne Bailey. He is currently charged with Rape, Aggravated Assault, and Kidnapping and was transported to Fulton County Jail without incident. The Atlanta Police Department would like to commend the diligent work of the Special Victims Unit and thank Marta PD for their assistance in bringing suspect Bailey into custody.
Arrest in Murder of Kennedy Maxie ~ Click HERE for more
Investigators with the Atlanta Police Department’s Fugitive Taskforce coordinated with the US Marshals service to arrest Daquan Reed, wanted for the murder of 7-year-old Kennedy Maxie among other charges. He was located on January 6, 2021 in Hampton, Virginia and is pending extradition to Atlanta.
Our deepest condolences go out to the Maxie family as the community continues to grieve this loss. We are thankful to have Daquan Reed and his reckless criminal behavior off our streets.
Arrest by APD AIT Unit
On February 21, APD’s air unit was conducting surveillance on several vehicles believed to be involved in street racing activity. During the night, the air unit alerted officers on the ground of a vehicle laying drags several times in and near a local shopping center. Zone 2 responded quickly to apprehend the driver, 22-year-old Jalen Cruz. Cruz was arrested on charges of reckless driving and laying drags and his car was impounded.
Supplemental Security Patrol
APD IN ACTION
The BCID donated two Dodge Chargers, with a third being donated by the APF to be used by a pool of 22 off duty officers who will rotate Buckhead security coverage within the CID boundaries six nights per week from 6pm to 4am.
APF has ordered an additional three vehicles for patrolling commercial areas in Buckhead outside of the CID boundaries that will be added to the patrol in early summer 2021.
Top priorities of the patrol are increasing police visibility to deter street racing, street vending, noise violations, and other disruptive criminal activity. To date, $215,000 has been invested in extra patrol hours for the program.