Atlanta's Crime Rate Vs. Sensitivity

By Charles Edwards

Atlanta, GA – Three people being held at the Fulton County Jail are charged with two high profile crimes in two Atlanta neighborhoods. The arrests come amid a debate between some residents and city officials over the extent of Atlanta's public safety efforts.

18 year old Tamario Wise is the only suspect being named at this point. He and two others face charges of rape, armed robbery and murder.

Charles Boyer was killed in front of his girlfriend outside their Virginia-Highland home. Later the same day, a woman was raped in Grant Park.

"These incidents shocked our city and stoked fear even as crime numbers dropped," said Atlanta Police Chief George Turner. "But we know that numbers matter not."

That's the balancing act for Turner and other city officials. They want you to recognize the crime rate is down. However, they don't want to seem insensitive to people and neighborhoods affected by crime. That's why Turner says APD is working with Virginia-Highland.

"We've met with them on a number of occasions and talked with them about the issues that they have," said Turner. "We are trying to really determine how they want their community to be policed."

In addition to learning neighborhoods' concerns, APD Major Keith Meadows says they're also learning about a change in criminal behavior.

"These criminals now don't necessarily involve themselves in one type of crime. They involve themselves in broad range of different types of crimes."

The unnamed suspects in the cases could be involved in 20 different crimes including car theft, armed robberies and rapes. APD says it's addressing this trend with help from the Fulton County District Attorney's office. That partnership, Meadows says, helped police identify suspects from crime patterns.

Mayor Kasim Reed, who unexpectedly attended the press conference, framed his campaign and now his administration around public safety. He reiterated that stance and pushed for continued police funding. Earlier this year, the Mayor and city council signed off on a budget, which gave public safety officials a pay raise and money to beef up staff.