After two decades of decline, violent crime in major U.S. cities is on the rise. 

Atlanta police and its Atlanta Police Foundation today announced a new Crime Stoppers
program, a 24-hour anonymous hotline that rewards tipsters for information that leads to an arrest and indictment in crimes that occur in the metro area.

The Atlanta Police Foundation and the Atlanta Police Department requests your presence at the third annual Crime is Toast Breakfast to be held September 26, 2006 at the Georgia World Congress Center. The Crime is Toast Breakfast is one of two signature events of the Atlanta Police Foundation. This annual breakfast is an opportunity for the entire community to learn the facts regarding the changing face of crime in Atlanta.

The Atlanta Police Department invites you to attend the job fair on Saturday, August 19, 2006 from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm at City Hall East.  For more information call 404.853.7650 or log onto atlantapd.org.

Officially, it was billed as a celebration of the opening of a mini precinct for the Atlanta Police Department at Atlantic Station. In reality, however, it was more of a fundraising event for the Atlanta Police Foundation and kick-off party for the inaugural Atlanta Policeman’s Ball, to be held April 8 at the InterContinental Buckhead Hotel.

According to figures released this week by the Atlanta Police Department, crime dropped 10 percent during the first quarter of the year compared with the same period in 2003.

An audit of the Atlanta Police Department concluded that the department consistently underreported crimes for years. The audit, which was released yesterday, found evidence of both negligence and deliberate efforts to improve the city's image for tourism.

Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin says that she wants to raise cops' salaries by 40 percent and hire more than 500 more police officers to make Atlanta a safe city.

Atlanta's troubled Police Department for years has failed to confront the city's serious crime problem and has even downplayed it by underreporting crimes to the public, an audit concludes.

Chief Richard Pennington, releasing an audit of police practices Friday, warned that Atlanta is the most dangerous city in America and criticized his department for routinely underreporting crime.

Atlanta Police Chief Richard J. Pennington says he plans to push for pay raises of 30 percent to 40 percent for the city's officers. Pointing out that many officers work extra jobs to make enough money to support their families - that underpaid police departments elsewhere have bred corrupt officers - Pennington said it's time for him to make a push for dramatically higher pay.

Buckhead residents are rightly outraged about the recent shootings in their neighborhood. Everybody has the right to be safe where they live. Here's our plan on how the Atlanta Police Department will respond.