APD SUCCESSES REVERSE RECENT TRENDS
Mayor Dickens and Chief Darin Schierbaum announced that violent crimes decreased 17% in 2023, reversing a three-year trend.
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- Violent crime against persons declined 17%
- Homicides declined 22%
- Aggravated assaults declined 16%
- Property crimes increased 7%, most notably auto thefts which increased by 61%
- Overall crime increased 3%
In a press conference last week, Chief Schierbaum noted that increased public support for the police and rank-and-file enthusiasm for the Public Safety Training Center have restored APD morale. (The PSTC is scheduled to open in December.)
APD continues to be short staffed with more than 400 officer vacancies, diminishing the effective level of police visibility and crime deterrence needed for our city. However, the 2023 crime reduction was a direct result of APD’s strategy to address gangs, guns, and drugs, with a specific focus on suppressing youth crime. The At-Promise Centers were key to this key success.
Officer recruitment and retention are on the upswing after three dismal years and the department is on track to hire 750 new officers in the next 36 months.
Since the 2020 crime surge, the Atlanta Police Foundation has worked with Mayor Dickens and Chief Schierbaum to restore morale, rebuild recruiting and retention, and ensure that our public safety training and resource infrastructure is equipped to meet Atlanta’s future law enforcement needs.
Restoring public safety to the historically low crime rates we achieved in 2019 remains our goal. Your support for our programs makes this progress possible.