Atlanta has seen a 3.6 percent drop in crime from 2012 to 2013 according to the Atlanta Police Foundation’s annual Atlanta Crime Report.
The report notes that Atlanta has seen a 30 percent drop in total crime from 2002-2012, bringing crime to its lowest since 2002.
Violent crimes included in the report are murder, rape, robbery and aggravated assault. Violent crimes reported in 2013 were broken down as follows: 53.7 percent aggravated assault accounts, 42.8 percent robbery offences, 1.9 percent rape and 1.5 percent murders. In all, the report stated there were 33,045 major crimes committed in 2013.
Terrence Glaspy, a journalism major at Georgia State, said he feels safe in Atlanta because of the numerous police officers on and around campus at all times.
“Also, the idea of installing 12,000 new cameras on the streets of Atlanta is a great safety precaution because these cameras can be used to find criminal activity,” Glaspy said.
Grant Hawkins, Vice President of Programs and Strategic Projects with the Atlanta Police Foundations, said APF collaborates largely with the Atlanta Police Department. Both study new technologies and best practices across the country to find what works most effectively in preventing crime and then act to implement these strategies.
“A large portion of the crime here in the city is driven by people leaving valuables in their cars,” Hawkins said.
Along with keeping valuables out of sight, Hawkins also suggests that Atlantans practice the “see something say something” motto which means if something seems suspicious, citizens should contact 911 or the police.
