With homicides on the rise in Atlanta, Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms has rolled out a plan to make the city safer.

WSB-TV reported Monday (Jan. 4), that Mayor Bottoms released “One Atlanta: One APD Immediate Action Plan to “address crime and the systemic issues that lead to violence.”

The mayor’s plan of action includes:

Expand enforcement of nuisance properties.

Focus additional resources and increase targeted enforcement on gangs and gun violence.

Expand the Operation Shield camera network.

Support neighborhood safety planning.

Continue to focus on disrupting street racing and auto crimes.

Explore a new Public Safety Training Academy.

Improve APD recruiting and retention.

According to 11 Alive, homicides in Atlanta are up 48 percent since 2019 and “aggravated assaults are up 14 percent, while rapes, robberies and burglaries are down, overall.”
Last December, City Council President Felicia Moore said she had never seen so much crime in Atlanta, “In every part of the city, and citizens are a bit weary... I'm just seeing that citizens are shaken by the numbers of violent incidents that are taking place.”

After Bottoms rolled out her plan, Councilman J.P. Matzigkeit said, “I’d said that we’re at war with crime, and we need to start acting like it. And this plan really put a focus on it and is a very comprehensive plan.”

Bottoms is also cracking down on bars and clubs that refuse to obey COVID-19 restrictions, noting, “To all of our bar and nightclub owners, we’re putting you on notice today.”
If owners do not abide by capacity limits, their businesses will quickly be shut down by the city.