Public Safety Briefs

e Governor’s O ce of Highway Safety has awarded the Atlanta Police Department a $57,500 grant award from its Highway Enforcement of Aggressive Tra c (H.E.A.T.) Program. Added to this award is $172,200 from the Atlanta Police Department, bringing the total grant program budget to $229,700. e H.E.A.T. program was designed to serve Georgia jurisdictions with the highest rates of crashes, injuries and deaths. It includes 22 Georgia counties and covers most of Metro Atlanta. e primary goals of the program are to reduce impaired driving crashes; reduce excessive speeding; increase safety belt usage; and educate the public about tra c safety.

irty DeKalb County law enforcement o cers recently met with experts from All About Developmental Disabilities (AADD) to learn how best to deal with individuals with developmental disabilities whom they are likely to encounter during emergency or law enforcement calls. AADD’s program is designed to help rst responders identify the behaviors that may indicate developmental disability – including Down Syndrome, autism and intellectual disability – and the most e ective ways to deal with them.

e Atlanta Police Department’s Path Force Unit has moved into its new headquarters at the Lo s at Reynoldstown Crossing, 890 Memorial Drive. Located on the Atlanta BeltLine, the Path Force Unit was created over the summer and has 15 o cers and three supervisors. Path Force will patrol the completed and interim trails as well as the parks along the BeltLine on foot, on bicycles and electric vehicles. e unit is being paid for by $1.8 million federal grant, and the assigned o cers are military veterans. “ e APD Path Force Unit has done a spectacular job making sure users of the Atlanta BeltLine feel safe, and welcomed,” said Mayor Kasim Reed during the opening event in December.

e Decatur Police Department is o ering these reminders to make your home safe against robberies: Be sure to lock all outside doors and windows before you leave the house or go to bed; fortify your home by installing heavy-duty locks; install secondary security devices on sliding windows; trim back bushes and trees that provide burglars with concealment; use your burlgar alarm every time you leave home; use motion sensor lights on the exterior and light timers on the interior. Submit an “Out of Town House Check” to the Decatur Police at decaturga.com (located under the City Government/City Departments tabs) and o cers will check on your home while you are away.

Oakley loves to play and she is a toy hound for sure. She also bonds very strongly with the people who love her. Oakley had a very rough start in life and was never given the chance to thrive, but she has at PAWS Atlanta. We cannot wait to see her happy, in a caring home. To adopt Oakley or any of the other cats and dogs available, visit pawsatlanta.org or stop by the shelter at 5287 Covington Highway in Decatur.