Local authorities in Atlanta are working hard to come up with innovative solutions to the problem of rising rates of violent crime in the city, which have persisted from 2021 into the new year.
The city in the south set a new record for the number of homicides in a single year with 158, breaking the previous record of 157 set in 2020 and the previous record of 99 set in 2019.
There have been a total of 20 homicides reported so far in 2022, compared to only 14 during the same time period in 2021. This represents a 43% increase in the number of homicides that have occurred thus far in 2022.
Rapes have skyrocketed by an amazing 236% so far this year, with 37 having been reported up to this point in comparison to only 11 at the same time in 2021. Other types of violent crime, such as aggravated assault, are on the decline compared to the previous year.
Police Discuss Trends
On February 16, representatives from a number of local agencies, including the Atlanta Police Department, got together to discuss how to keep their respective communities secure.
An APD spokesperson told Fox News Digital that during the meeting, “we’ve been talking about the same thing over and over again.”
The spokesperson went on to say that the meeting took place so that the APD could share information with neighbouring cities that are dealing with similar crime trends, including homicides and illegal street racing.
“Now that we have all gathered together, we will discuss what we have observed and what potential solutions there may be. What are some of the things that another department is making use of that we haven’t possibly considered?” a representative of the company stated.
And while property crime is down 10% year-over-year — though there are questions surrounding how those crimes are reported — the APD noted “a glaring recurring factor” in a post they made on Facebook on February 16 announcing the arrest of several repeat property crime suspects.
The post was an announcement of the arrest of several repeat property crime suspects. According to what was written by the police department, “[m]any of our arrestees are repeat offenders.”
According to the first report by FOX 5 Atlanta, there were a total of 155 prior arrests and 30 convictions between the four offenders that were detained.
“It is quite evident to us that even if we are tenacious and/or successful in making these arrests, we will not be able to arrest our way out of this predicament. The problem of repeat offenders and crime cannot be solved solely by the police.
We have them arrested, and we want to take them to jail; yet, this will not be sufficient “It was written by APD. “In order for there to be a shift, the community and the entirety of the criminal justice system need to collaborate.
In the event that this does not occur, the revolving door will continue to turn, and the everyday scene, which frequently appears and feels like it was taken from the film “Groundhog Day,” will continue on forever.”
The Department of Public Safety also stated that despite this, it remains “undeterred” and “will remain relentless” in its “pursuit of lawbreakers” and its overall objective to ensure that Atlanta is a secure place to live and visit.
Fox News Digital sent a request for an interview, but the mayor’s office did not respond to the request.
Also Read:
- 1 Dead, Another Injured In Shooting Outside Mall In Indianapolis
- Investigators In The Idaho Student Murders Will Probably Compare DNA Evidence To The FBI Database
Behind The Violence
Professor Volkan Topalli of Georgia State University’s Andrew Young School of Policy Studies told Fox News Digital, “There’s clearly a crime surge,” while also noting that the current crime rate in Atlanta is still much lower than what it was some 30 years ago.
An spike in crime in his neighbourhood prompted the longtime criminologist to be shot last year, shocking the Atlanta community. When Topalli stepped outside of the business, he was immediately surrounded by gunfire from two opposing factions.
This is because, as he put it, “[w]hen we have these sort of confrontations and have regions where there have been problems, we don’t pay attention to those areas.”
“What we’re seeing here is what happens when we ignore such problems. There was a little possibility that I would be the one to get shot, but somebody had to.”
Topalli’s situation was unusual, but the CDC reports that between 2016 and 2017, homicide and unintentional injury were the main causes of mortality for Black males aged 1–24. (CDC).
What a shocking number,” the professor remarked. “So, not only do we know the perpetrators and hotspots of violence, but we also have a good idea of who is being victimised. Furthermore, I believe that this is an area that requires our attention.”
Potential Solutions
Topalli has devoted a large portion of his career to conducting in-depth interviews with criminals in big cities like Atlanta in order to better understand their motivations for breaking the law.
Topalli said Fox News, “I think most people have this impression that homicides and assaults are the result of robberies gone bad.” “Indeed, there is a sizable quantity of that as well. The violence we’ve seen during the increase, and that existed before it, too, is mostly the result of interpersonal disputes.”
He also said that having guns around can make situations that could be settled with a punch much worse. Last year, more than 2,000 weapons were taken from cars in Atlanta, as reported by FOX 5 Atlanta.
The rise in violent crime in Atlanta and other major cities, including Chicago and Philadelphia, can be traced back in part to shifts in human behaviour brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Black Lives Matter movement (which Topalli described as a police accountability movement), and the cancellation of work and school.
He also noted that the unpredictability of the situation exacerbated the difficulty of authorities in preventing and responding to violent crime.
Topalli thinks that cities like Atlanta will benefit from more investment for community-based crime intervention initiatives and educational programmes in addition to traditional law enforcement and law enforcement technologies like CCTV cameras.
Final Words
Authorities in Atlanta are putting in long hours to come up with creative answers to the problem of escalating violent crime rates, which have lasted from 2021 into the new year.
With 158 homicides in 2018, the southern city surpassed its own prior records from 2020 (which stood at 157) and 2019 (which stood at 99).
So far in 2022, there have been 20 homicides recorded, up from 14 at this point in 2021. The number of homicides in 2022 is up 43% over the same point in 2021.
There have been 37 reported rapes this year, up from just 11 at this time in 2021, a staggering 236% increase. Aggravated assault and other violent crimes are also decreasing as compared to the previous year.
