Public Safety Briefs

Atlanta City Councilmember

Yolanda Adrean announced last month that the Atlanta Police Foundation began installing the first 50 state-of-the-art video security cameras and license plate readers as part of Phase I of the master plan for Council District 8 in Buckhead. The devices will be integrated into the city’s Loudermilk Operation Shield Video Integration Center, where police can monitor images from more than 5,900 high-tech cameras throughout the city. Adrean contributed $300,000 from her council budget carry forward account toward the purchase of security cameras. Her contribution was matched by the mayor’s office, and private sector investment in cameras from businesses and residents has amounted to $2 million thus far. The master plan, which is a map of strategic locations where the cameras and readers will be installed, was developed in partnership with the Atlanta Police Foundation and the Atlanta Police Department by using data collected from crime statistics and patterns throughout the district. The installation in District 8 is expected to be complete this month.

The Atlanta Police Department has added 14 new 2016 Ford Police Interceptor Utility vehicles to its fleet. The SUVs are assigned to the Active Shooter Response Team, Training Academy and the Special Operations Section.

The Atlanta Fire Rescue Department (AFRD) is accepting applications for its 2016 class of firefighter EMT-A (Emergency Medical Technician – Advanced) recruits. The AFRD accepts applications by mail and by delivery at Public Safety Headquarters at 226 Peachtree Street SW. Individuals who submit their applications directly to AFRD must provide their applications in a file folder between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 4 p.m., Monday through Friday until March 7. Applications can be downloaded and printed by visiting atlantaga.gov/index.aspx?page=1278.

The general manager of Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport has composed a strongly-worded letter to the TSA over too few screeners and growing passenger wait times at the airport’s checkpoints. Airport general manager Migue Southwell has put the TSA on notice, saying the agency has 60 days to get its act together or the airport will bring in its own qualified private contractors to man the checkpoints.

Meetings

The Atlanta City Council will meet March 7 and 21 at 1 p.m. at City Hall, 55 Trinity Ave. citycouncil.atlantaga.gov.

The Atlanta Public Schools Board of Education will meet March 7 at 6 p.m. 130 Trinity Ave. atlanta.k12.ga.us

The Old Fourth Ward Business Association (O4WBA) meets the fourth Wednesday of each month from 6 to 7 p.m. at the Selena Butler Recreation Center, 98 William Butler Holmes Drive, SE. See meeting agendas and other information at the association’s Facebook page, facebook.com/O4WBA.

News

Atlanta City Councilmember Cleta Winslow has allegedly breached the city’s ethics ordinance for a third time since she took office in 1994, according to a report from the AJC. At press time, she’d been offered a $3,000 fine to settle this infraction, which includes using taxpayer money to pay homeless people to work on her 2013 re-election campaign.

The Turner Field Community Benefits Coalition , which represents the neighborhoods of Summerhill, Mechanicsville, Peoplestown, Pittsburgh and others nearby Turner Field, has unveiled its platform for the stadium property. The platform was created ahead of the Atlanta Braves vacating The Ted at the end of the year while the city negotiates the sale of the stadium property to Georgia State University and its partners for a mixed-use development including athletic fields, housing, restaurants, retail and more. Included in the coalition’s platform are calls for diverse housing with affordable units; amenities such as a supermarket, retail and entertainment; infrastructure upgrades to prevent future flooding; transportation options; a walkable street grid that connects neighborhoods; greenspace and public space; job training and education for youths and adults; and better policing and security.

The number of riders using the Atlanta Streetcar (right) has tumbled since the introduction of a $1 fare on Jan. 1, according to a report from WSB-TV. The streetcar reported 21,818 riders during the month of January, which is a 66 percent drop in ridership from last year. That means the system took in less than $10,000 in revenue – a fraction of the annual $5 million operating and maintenance costs. Mayor Kasim Reed said the January numbers were preliminary and unaudited. The 2.7 mile streetcar, which runs from Centennial Olympic Park to the King Center, was free to ride during all of 2015. The city is hoping to extend the streetcar line east to connect to the Atlanta BeltLine Eastside Trail.

Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport served more passengers and handled more aircraft operations than any other airport in the world in 2015 to retain the title as the “World’s Busiest Airport.” Atlanta hosted 101,491,106 passengers in 2015, becoming the first airport ever to serve more than 100 million passengers in a single year. The total passenger number for 2015 was a 5.52 percent increase over the 2014 total of 96,178,899 passengers served. The airport also hosted more aircraft operations than any other in 2015. The 882,497 aircraft movements was an increase of 1.63 percent over 2014’s total of 868,359. In addition, cargo traffic saw a substantial increase as 626,201 metric tons of cargo moved through the facility in 2015. That’s a 4.15 percent increase over 2014’s total of 601,270 metric tons.

The Collier Hills neighborhood is celebrating its 75th anniversary in 2016. To mark the occasion, the civic association is working to gather and document the neighborhood’s rich history. If you are a previous Collier Hills resident and have old photos of homes, families and neighborhood events, memorabilia or stories to share, the civic association wants to hear from you. In addition, a celebration is being planned for the fall that will include former residents. To be added to the email list, or if you have photos or historical information to share, contact the Collier Hills Civic Association at CollierHillsCivic@gmail.com or (404) 351-3616.

Comprehensive Women’s

Lynley S. Durre , M.D.