Expanding The Police In Buckhead’s Commercial Corridors
***Debra Wathen, Chairs the Buckhead Council of Neighborhoods and is Executive Director of the Buckhead Public Safety Foundation***
- Have you ever looked over your shoulder as you left a store to make sure you were not being followed?
- Do you worry about wearing your jewelry to the grocery store?
- Do you worry about someone smashing your window or worse, stealing your car while you are shopping?
- Or do you just avoid Buckhead altogether and shop elsewhere out of fear of the unthinkable happening?
No one should have to avoid the places they love because they feel unsafe. The answer is the Buckhead Safety Alliance, formed to make Buckhead a safe place to shop, play, and live.
As I took the reins of the Buckhead Council of Neighborhoods last January, quality of life in Buckhead Neighborhoods was a top priority for me. As I listened to the concerns of these neighborhoods, crime was, of course, their number one complaint. Everyone deserves to feel safe, especially in their homes and out in their community. Unfortunately, that has not been the case for residents across much of Atlanta and certainly not in Buckhead. Having heard these valid complaints, I decided it was time for us to take action.
Over the years many neighborhoods in Buckhead have supplemented their security with off-duty officer patrols (ODPs). These patrols have proven to be very effective in reducing crime in these neighborhoods. Patrols also offer the best form of community policing. These officers get to know the residents and their families, and they themselves become part of the neighborhood.
The Buckhead Community Improvement District (BCID) implemented similar ODP patrols in 2021 based on the recommendations of the Buckhead Security Plan. The BCID purchased three police vehicles and hired off-duty officers to patrol the BCID in those cars. This, too, has proven to have a positive effect on deterring crime. However, the BCID can only fund programs inside their official boundaries, so these patrols remain within the BCID area.
The question became, how can we expand the success of the Buckhead Security Plan outside of the BCID central business district and out into other commercial corridors? How can we get back to feeling safe and secure in our community?
With the cooperation of the Buckhead Council of Neighborhoods, BCID, the Atlanta Police Foundation, and Mary Norwood’s Buckhead Safety Task Force, The Buckhead Safety Alliance was born. The mission of the Buckhead Safety Alliance is to have off-duty Atlanta Police officers patrol important commercial corridors in Buckhead where we work, shop, and dine. The Zone 2 command staff has helped us identify five commercial corridors needing these patrols.
These off-duty officers, with full arrest power, will patrol these corridors in marked and fully equipped police cars. Their sole purpose will be looking for individuals committing crimes such as car break-ins, unruly behavior, burglary, and any other suspicious behavior. They will only answer 911 calls when there is an active crime along their assigned corridor. Shops and business owners will have the ability to call 911 and then the patrol car directly and take action if necessary.
The plan is in place, and we are ready to start patrolling this month. However, we need your help to increase funds raised to support this initiative. The more we raise, the more hours these patrols will operate. If each business, individual, school neighborhood and multi-family complex helps share in the cost of these patrols, the returns will be huge. The Buckhead Public Safety Foundation is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization, and all contributions are tax deductible. If you already give to the Atlanta Police Foundation, continue to give generously to them—you can designate those funds to go to the Buckhead Safety Alliance to ensure that your contribution goes directly toward funding these Buckhead commercial corridor patrols.
Please visit www.BuckheadSafety.org to learn more and make a contribution today.
