Mayor Kasim Reed at a recent town hall meeting on crime prevention in Midtown Atlanta (Photos by Terry Shropshire for Atlanta Daily World and Real Times Media).
The city of Atlanta and Mayor Kasim Reed listened to the citizens’ concerns on crime and they are acting accordingly.
The timing of this announcement may be fortuitous, but fresh off a recent town hall meeting on rising violent crime, the city announced today that it has accepted a gift of a former branch building and parcel of land in Southwest Atlanta from SunTrust Bank that will be transferred to substation for the Atlanta Police Department.
The building is located at 711 Fulton Industrial Boulevard.
“The strategic location of this facility is a welcomed addition to our policing efforts in serving the residents and businesses of this community,” said Mayor Kasim Reed. “We appreciate SunTrust’s generosity in providing us the opportunity to repurpose this facility into an active, vital safety component of the neighborhood.”
Suntrust officials are grateful they are able to contribute to the safety of that particular side of town.
“We’re pleased that the City of Atlanta can use this facility in their service to the community,” said Allison Dukes, chairman and CEO of SunTrust’s Atlanta Division. “SunTrust is focused on helping our clients and neighbors achieve a sense of financial well-being, and we greatly appreciate the work of the police department in ensuring the community’s safety and overall well-being.”
When renovations are completed, the building will house two specialized APD units: the Zone 4 Criminal Investigation Division (CID), which is currently housed in the lower level of the Adamsville Recreation Center, and the Field Investigation Team (FIT) which is currently housed in a storefront facility at 3565 Martin Luther King Jr Drive. This relocation will provide additional police presence within Zone 4 and the surrounding neighborhoods because of its proximity to major corridors including Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.
“The Atlanta Police Department is committed to working with our community partners in every neighborhood in the City of Atlanta,” said Assistant Chief Shawn Jones. “We are increasing our visibility and employing new strategies aimed at lowering crime.”
At a public safety town hall meeting recently held in Midtown, the Atlanta Police Department announced additional steps it is taking to address crime throughout the city. Those efforts include establishing a Repeat Offender Unit to monitor repeat offenders after their arrests, launching special police details that will control possible DUI activity after hours, and utilizing the video integration center to track more than 5,700 security cameras in private and public sector facilities.