PUBLIC SAFETY
To combat crime, local communities increase salaries, boost budgets, plan new facilities BY SAMMIE PURCELL Amidst an increase in crime in the city of Atlanta, public safety has become a key issue in the city and in surrounding metro communities. Lately, many of those communities have taken measures to find and retain more police officers and to keep crime numbers low, including increasing salaries for officers and boosting police budgets. But is increasing police spending the best way to decrease crime or strengthen public safety, or are there other initiatives governments could also focus on? A 2020 Politico report found that while studies have shown an increase in police officers decreases instances of crime, increases in other factors like healthcare access and social services have been shown to do the same. The report found that the extent to which increased police spending makes for decreasing crime rates is unclear. Reporter Newspapers spoke with local officials for more detail on how governments have been addressing public safety issues in the community. Atlanta On Sept. 8, the Atlanta City Council approved a controversial $90 million public safety training facility, nicknamed “Cop City” by opponents. The facility plans call for a mock town, classroom space, a firing range, a firefighting drill tower, space for a helicopter to land in case of emergency, and more. The facility will be located on the old Atlanta Prison Farm property on Key Road. Critics of the facility say supporters are falsely claiming it will help stop the city’s current crime wave. “We now see the manifestation of what happens when the government moves ahead of the population that is trusting them to keep them engaged,” said Atlanta City Councilmember Natalyn Archibong during the Sept. 8 meeting when the facility was approved. “This facility will not be built for another couple of years. To conflate the issue of building this facility with an automatic reduction in crime is irresponsible.” During the 17-hour long public comment section of the Sept. 8 meeting, 70% of the callers who spoke were against the facility. When asked for a comment on the training facility and how it might serve to improve public safety, a spokesperson for the Atlanta Police Foundation
16 DECEMBER 2021| REPORTER NEWSPAPERS
A rendering of the $90 million public safety training facility planned in Atlanta.
Brookhaven
From left, Dunwoody Police Chief Billy Grogan, Sandy Springs Police Chief Ken DeSimone and Brookhaven Police Chief Gary Yandura. referred Reporter Newspapers to a website with updates about the public safety training center. “AFP continues to receive citizen input from nearby neighborhoods through the Community Stakeholder Advisory Committee, created by the City Council, which will help guide final design and construction,” reads the website. The first phase of the center is ex-
pected to open in late 2023. Atlanta’s future policy direction when it comes to crime will depend on the next mayor. Atlanta’s municipal runoff elections will be held on Nov. 30, where candidates Felicia Moore and Andre Dickens will face off for mayor. Results of the runoff weren’t available in time for print publication, but both candidates have made crime a large part of their campaigns.
At a Sept. 28 meeting, the Brookhaven City Council voted to raise the housing allowance for Brookhaven police officers from $600 to $800 in an attempt to “continue to attract and retain highperformance talent within the sworn police officer ranks,” according to the ordinance. “I think every employer is going through this, having difficulty finding people,” said City Manager Christian Sigman. “We periodically look at our salaries and non-compensation benefits to make sure one, we’re competitive … We’re an expensive place to live, and we’re competing with other places that are expensive places to live.” The Brookhaven Police Department also recently started a Drone First Responder program, which dispatches drones to possible crime or incident scenes first so on-the-ground responders can have a better idea of what sort of situation they are responding to. Brookhaven police spoke to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) about the best ways to consider privacy and safety issues when implementing the program, but the ACLU still had questions about the program’s necessity. reporternewspapers.com BH
