Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens visited Cobb County Monday to highlight his priorities for working with surrounding communities, stressing the importance of partnership in addressing public safety.
At the Cobb Chamber of Commerce’s Marquee Monday event, Dickens said public safety is one of the biggest challenges Metro Atlanta is facing and a solution is a metro-wide approach with more focus on crime prevention and community intervention.
“What used to be considered a big city problem has now become a regional, state and even a national problem,” he said.
Addressing crime rates in the city of Atlanta has been the focus of Dickens’ administration thus far after the city was ranked third in the U.S. for homicide. Earlier this year, the mayor launched the Repeat Offender Tracking Unit for law enforcement agencies in Atlanta to share information on offenders with more than three felonies.
“The criminals don’t know a boundary when they cross into your city or my city,” he said to Cobb business and political leaders. “It’s also in our best interest if we start to reimagine public safety.”
Cobb Chairwoman Lisa Cupid introduced Dickens and said she supports a strong partnership with the city of Atlanta.
“There is no mistake in acknowledging that a strong, that a safe, that a sound Cobb County requires a strong, safe and sound Atlanta,” Cupid said.
