ATLANTA — Atlanta police and fire rescue want to make sure shoppers and everyone else are safe as we get close to the end of the year.
The city kicked off its safety campaign for the holiday season on Thursday morning. Channel 2′s Steve Gehlbach reported from Lenox Square, which is just one area that Atlanta police are focused on.
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APD said what they have been doing is working at Lenox Square with private security and more police presence at nightclubs and bars as well as their clean car campaign to cut down on car break-ins.
Police said that homicides and shootings are also down so far this year.
“Violent crime is down across the city of Atlanta,” Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens said.
Dickens was joined by Police Chief Darin Schierbaum and Fire Chief Roderick Smith for a news conference at Lenox Square in Buckhead. The mayor touted the successes but also pledged to residents and anyone coming into the city to visit a mall, restaurant or venue this holiday season.
“We will be vigilant making sure people can shop, that they can dine, can entertain in peace.”
Atlanta police reminds everyone not to leave packages, valuables or guns in your car that could make it a target for break-ins. The department announced “Operation Deep Freeze,” a continuation of their crackdown over the summer where they’ll take all available officers as well as civilian employees and put them on the street.
“Administrative officers who normally carry out functions at police headquarters and other locations in the city, we’ll be cutting those hours and going to our shopping areas all across the city,” Schierbaum said.
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Atlanta police also showed off some of their new patrol cars now added to the fleet. Smith showed off the new heavy-duty pickups that will be used as rapid-response vehicles that can handle a majority of AFRD calls that are medical.
The pickups are quicker and more nimble and will free up engines and trucks that the department has had a tough time keeping in service.
“They will have two trained medics on those pieces of equipment and they will be responding throughout the city. They won’t have a fixed location, will be going where the call volume is predicted to be higher, or unanticipated and shifting as the city’s needs change,” Smith said.
The fire chief told Gehlbach that the department has two new engines that should be delivered by next week.
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