APD opens new Boulevard precinct
If you're searching for vice, odds are good you'll end up on Boulevard, the historic Old Fourth Ward corridor that runs parallel to the Downtown Connector.
The street's reputation as a haven for drugs and prostitution is acknowledged by even its bigger boosters, many of whom turned out at a ribbon-cutting/pep rally Monday for a new police mini-precinct. It will be located in space donated by Atlanta Medical Center.
Boulevard has "long-standing, tremendous problems to deal with," said Atlanta Police Chief George Turner. "You'll see more resources on the Boulevard corridor."
City Councilman Kwanza Hall's push to revitalize Boulevard is anchored by the precinct, which will have 12 officers.
The goal, Hall says, is to make the corridor safe and viable -- things it hasn't been for decades.
"We're going to bring this community back," City Councilman Michael Julian Bond said to an enthusiastic audience.
Among the plans for Boulevard this summer: a series of youth job fairs, the placement of garbage cans along the street, stepped-up code enforcement and a summer jobs program targeting kids who live in the Bedford-Pine apartment complex.
About the Author
A native Atlantan, Boone joined the AJC staff in 2007. He quickly carved out a niche covering crime stories, assuming the public safety beat in 2014. He's covered some of the biggest trials this decade, from Hemy Neuman to Ross Harris to Chip Olsen, the latter of which was featured on Season 7 of the AJC's award-winning "Breakdown" podcast.
