Atlanta’s recently elected mayor has unveiled a new police precinct in the city’s large Buckhead district as he tries to head off an effort to make it a separate city.
Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens unveils a new police precinct in the Atlanta's Buckhead district Thursday, Jan. 13, 2022, as he tries to head off an effort to turn the wealthy, white enclave into its own city over concerns about a spike in crime.
The Buckhead City movement is being led by a business consultant and political fundraiser who has cited the crime surge to argue that Buckhead residents would be safer with their own police force and municipal court system. The precinct, scheduled to be operational by summer, is expected to have at least 12 officers who will mostly deal with traffic calls, allowing other officers in Buckhead to focus on patrolling their beats and responding faster to crime, officials said.
The district has a population of roughly 90,000 people — about a fifth of the city's residents — but it's also a magnet for shoppers, diners and workers from around the region that swell those numbers. The Buckhead City Committee said it has experienced a disproportionate increase in robberies, assaults and other crime.
“Bottom line: Should Buckhead City legislation pass, it’s quite likely that the credit rating agencies could easily downgrade municipal bonds in Georgia, which essentially just raises the borrowing costs to taxpayers and cities across the state,” he told state lawmakers at a hearing Wednesday. White said Buckhead would cover its financial obligations to Atlanta, and his committee has come up with plans to address the debt and school concerns. He expressed confidence that state lawmakers would approve a referendum.