Tonight the search for some
solutions to address a rise
in violent crimes in Atlanta.
Joining me is City Council
President Felicia Moore.
Also, May oral candidate.
I'd love your perspective on the newest
numbers that APD shared with us.
Murders up 80% from this time last year.
47% clyman aggravated assaults also 47% more.
Car stolen.
So much has happened in just a year.
What do you feel is driving
the spike in violent crimes?
First
of all, the numbers on settling in
their heart breaking an I know that
they're shocking people across the city.
But then again, people are
seeing crime across the city and
recognize that we have a problem.
And so you know that's what started it.
I think in particularly when
you're talking about that,
you should have done violence and
the students that are going on
each and everyone of them have
a different story behind them.
I recently passed at a public
safety community meeting.
I'm looking for that information.
See exactly what are the things
that are driving.
How do we look at those categories
and how do we insist city we can
intervene in any way you don't have
police officers on every corner.
We can find a pattern that we
can attract and we can attack,
but not something that many
of them are domestic.
How people do know each other.
Maybe have had some conflict with
each other and they're using
the guns to settle the icons.
You have so much experience on
the Council more than 20 years.
Is there something now that is so
different than in the years years past?
Do you attribute some of it to
the pandemic or unemployment?
Are any of those dots that
we were able to connect yet?
Well, I would say that the pandemic
is certainly something that I haven't
experienced nor has anyone else experienced
in their lifetime of that has taken place,
and we certainly can't count that out
as a major an contributing factor.
One thing the pandemic has done as
well is called the cover off of a
lot of things that we have ignored.
Our social inequities are disparities
in health, and the list goes on and on,
and I think it's also opened up.
Oppurtunity for people to commit
crimes because of maybe some of those
social inequity issues and unemployment
and the things that you mentioned,
but as well, I think that listen
and settling time for people,
particularly people being locked in
and locked up and trying to make sure
that making stay clear of the virus.
So I think home it does have a lot
to do with it because I believe it.
Look at the numbers.
You can see that they started
to increase once this.
Then they may happen and then also
culminated with what preceded right
before that which was the sum of
the unrest that we had thousands
of police abuse cases that happen
in other cities as well as our city
and the social justice movement
and protest that happened.
All of this is made for perfect storm
Unperfect or I would like to call
it things that have culminated in.
A lot of activities are
still yeah, we have seen turmoil
within the Atlanta Police Department.
Of course, thinking about the death of
Rechar Brooks and the college students who
were tased during those protests last May,
and several officers are facing charges.
I know Erica Shields stepped down as chief.
No permanent replacement has been named.
How big of an impact do you think all
of that has played or has it on Apd's
ability to address the rising crime?
But I believe that it has definitely
from hearing from officers and I
talked to many on different levels
of from the patrol officers to
those that are in command staff.
And of course they would recognize
and say that those incidents were
the beginning of the downward
swinging them around and that also
contributed to us losing a lot of
office and those who were in certain
that they were going to be processed.
That were involved in some incident that
needed to be routinized or investigating
'cause I want to make sure that they
they are in trouble that they want
at least had a good process and they
don't want to end by Nate book accounting.
So that kind of started them around and also
started into remember some of the officers.
Saying that they were still
going out something like a blue
clue how many of them leaving.
And now we are down.
A lot of officers for that and
probably other reasons as well.
Of the lack of officers on the street,
certainly computing this people who who
could make commit criminal activity.
They know that that's not happening.
On top of that,
where we talked about earlier
with Covid taking place as well.
And we have our bars,
nightclubs and restaurants that are
filled to the brim on the weekends.
Also seen a lot of activity
and shooting around there,
we've attracted a lot of people
from around the country I'm in
party in this email and you were
talking about the number of officers.
Do you know how many open positions?
Is there a need for more staffing?
Even for officers on the street?
Where does that stand
within Atlanta police? I
do not have the direct numbers,
but depending on who you talk to,
we are said to be down over
400 or either 500 officers.
And so that is sworn officers.
But let's break that number
down a bit more because what's
important to me is not just the
number of sworn officers be back,
but how many sworn officers that
we actually have on the street,
and that number is considerably less.
And so that's why I believe,
maybe 'cause of a crime that is
happening haven't all hands on deck
approach in those sworn officers
that are doing administrative.
So these are that are behind this
needed get on the streets I do another.
We will augment other units and
some administrative people for
occasions like we had this past
weekend with the the All Star Games.
But I believe that we are at a point
that we need to find a rotation.
They keep that constant number until we
are able to do the recruiting that we
need to do is to make our numbers back up.
Is there something the city could
or should be doing now you feel
that would help have some immediacy
that's not currently happening.
Well, I think you know there's a touch
on everything and I I would say that one
thing we could and should be doing and
I know the timing is even worse than it
was when I talked about it last year.
Is starting a search for permanent police.
I think the permanent the being a permanent.
She thought it sends a signal in a
message in the leadership position
in the role of the Police Department.
I also believe that we need to immediately,
if not sooner.
Sit down and have a conversation with
our partners in our County justice.
Comments details, other DJ and others.
Make sure that what's.
People have complained to me about is
occurring in people who are violating
peoples rights by committing violent
crimes for getting back on the street
and we need to be a little bit more
selective in terms of who we let go
because everybody doesn't have to
be or need help and those that we
were letting back out on the street.
Times over.
And those are some of the things
that I think we need to certainly
work on right now and then.
The other piece is to be
aggressive as we can,
and I know there is some work to be done,
but it's aggressive as we can on
attracting officer may be trying
to get back some of the officers
earlier looking at retirees.
It'll come back to Pereira Lee as
well as aggressively getting staffing
up our recruit classes with every
passing officers on the street.
Ask what would
you say to people who say
they're not feeling safe?
Well, I understand that and I'm not
going to discount them that they don't
feel safe and I just ask and encourage
citizens to recognize that they play a
role as well in helping us to reduce crime.
And they do that by being vigilant.
I think a lot of times we go about
our daily activity, not anticipating
that someone may come behind you,
or someone may slide in vehicle. You know,
we need to keep our keys out of our cars,
particularly those who have push button cars.
You need to make. Bob isn't.
There are guns a safely here in the car door.
Don't carry them around in your
car or take them with you so that
people aren't getting guns.
Those violent crime.
I think that their citizens can be aware and
can see something that doesn't look right.
Need to make someone aware of
that and make them aware of media.
We also have a role that
we can play assistance.
Be safe as well as make
sure everyone else is.
Is there any final thought you?
Like to leave or anything.
I haven't asked that you'd like
to address well,
just would like to say that, you know,
I understand and my heart is broken too,
that we're seeing this rise in crime,
particularly violent crime around
our city and I would just urge
citizens you a stay vigilant that
is important that we do that.
And also saying these with the hole
and we in City Hall in particularly
negative branch that even the mayor.
Need to make sure that they are constantly,
transparently,
and clearly communicating to the
public that we understand what's
going on and what is being done on a
daily or weekly basis to address this.
Atlanta City Council president Felicia
Moore. We appreciate the time.
Thank you so much. Thank you.