Since May 17, there have been three robberies, two homicides and one shooting in the East Atlanta area. No arrests have been made in the homicides that occurred separately on Metropolitan Avenue and May Avenue, but investigators continue to examine evidence to determine if the crimes are linked.
In response, Mayor Kasim Reed and the Atlanta Police Department announced Wednesday that additional public safety resources will be deployed in the East Atlanta and Grant Park neighborhoods as well as several nearby areas following the recent crime. Specifically, the Atlanta Police Department has increased patrols and canvas efforts in Zones 5 and 6.
“My administration’s top priority is public safety,” said Mayor Kasim Reed. “It troubles me deeply to hear of violent crime against people in our city’s neighborhoods. I especially wish to extend my heartfelt condolences to the families and friends of Patrick Cotrona and the other victims. One murder in our city is one too many, and I plan to use all the resources available to me and the Atlanta Police Department to bring the perpetrators of these terrible crimes to justice.”
The police department said that it also is actively pursuing leads in the recent shooting at Grant Street and Georgia Avenue, in which the victim was shot in the face.
APD has deployed the following additional resources:
• Increasing police foot patrol presence. APD will partner with law enforcement agencies including the Dekalb County Police Department to conduct joint details with safety checkpoints on the borders of Fulton and Dekalb Counties.
• Standing up mobile precincts with the department’s Community Oriented Policing Section (COPS) for enhanced police presence in neighborhoods.
• Deploying the newly created Tactical Traffic Unit to bring an additional eight officers and a police sergeant into the area.
• Implementing the new Atlanta Proactive Enforcement Interdiction (A.P.E.X.) in Zone 6 to identify violent crime patterns utilizing analytical data.
• Increasing the presence of the Special Operations Section in Zone 6 to include Motors and Mounted Patrol.
• Working with community leaders and organizations to disseminate accurate information and solicit assistance in seeking additional information.
“The Atlanta Police Department takes these incidents seriously and will continue to work aggressively to solve them,” said Atlanta Police Chief George Turner. “The additional resources we are deploying are part of our efforts to reduce violent crime in East Atlanta and throughout the city. We stand with the families of those whose lives have been needlessly cut short, and will work with the community to solve these crimes.”
Anyone with information about these or other crimes in the City of Atlanta is urged to call the police department’s anonymous Crime Stoppers tip line at 404-577-8477. Tips leading to arrests and indictments in the recent East Atlanta homicides could result in a cash reward of up to $25,000 to the person who provides the information.
Mayor Reed’s office notes that after a recent 50-year analysis of crime statistics, overall crime is down to the lowest levels since 1972.
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