Repeat Offender Tracking Unit will put ‘scarlet letter’ on serial criminals ‘Off-wire’ trains, bus-rapid transit considered for Clifton Corridor

By Collin Kelley

MARTA is exploring using a type of “off-wire” train or bus rapid transit (BRT) for the long-proposed transit connection from Lindbergh station to the Emory University/CDC campuses.

Light rail along the corridor, which would also connect to the Avondale Station, was first conceived more than 60 years ago but only started gaining renewed traction in 2012. While light rail is still on the table, it appears MARTA is looking for a less expensive alternative.

MARTA officials told the Atlanta City Council Transportation Committee in April that it is exploring so-called “off-wire” technology – essentially a batteryoperated train without an overhead wire – making the Clifton Corridor line more compatible with the CSX freight line it would run alongside.

Transit officials said they are also considering a BRT line for the Clifton Corridor, similar to the one soon to connect Downtown with Summerhill, and proposed for the Campbellton Road Corridor.

Interim MARTA CEO Collie Greenwood said the initial study for BRT on the Clifton Corridor showed an “improvement for cost, time, and flexible operational efficiency.”

By Collin Kelley

The City of Atlanta and Fulton County have created a Repeat Offender Tracking Unit.

The unit will include members of the Atlanta Police Department, Fulton County Sheriff’s Department, and Fulton County District Attorney’s Office.

Based on Mitchell Street in Downtown, the unit will share information between law enforcement, prosecutors, and judges to keep repeat offenders behind bars.

“We are now specifically tracking repeat offenders from the time of arrest,” said Fulton District Attorney Fani Willis. “We are literally giving them a scarlet letter, so the prosecutors and investigators who touch these files know that this is a case where we need to pay more attention and make sure justice is actually served.”

Mayor Andre Dickens said that 30% of arrests made by APD each week are repeat offenders who have already been convicted of at least three felonies.

The mayor also noted that 1,000 people are committing an estimated 40% of the city’s crime, and the new unit is “designed to get these serial, repeat offenders off the city’s streets.”

Atlanta Police Chief Rodney Bryant called the repeat offender situation a “significant problem” said that during the month of March, officers charged 75 people who had more than 1,800 combined arrests.

Administrative staff for the unit is being funded by the Atlanta Police Foundation, while Central Atlanta Progress, Midtown Alliance, and Buckhead Coalition are picking up the tab for the office lease, furniture, and technology.

Greenwood said MARTA was working on an “aggressive schedule” to narrow down the most efficient mode by the end of the year.