In 2016, the DeKalb County Police Department saw decreases in several types of crimes.
Pedestrian robberies (muggings) were down 18 percent, according to statistics released to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Residential burglaries dropped 17 percent. Rapes and attempted rapes fell 16 percent.
Public Safety Director Cedric Alexander said he’s proud of the accomplishments. He points out that the decreases come even as the agency is “critically” under-staffed.
Credit: Kent Johnson
Credit: Kent Johnson
“These kids don’t complain. They just go get it done,” he told the AJC this week. “I think the men and women here have done a terrific job. We’re heading in the right direction. We know this upcoming year we really gotta work at getting more officers hired.”
How the numbers fell isn’t exactly clear, but Alexander said he likes to think it has to do with the department’s “messaging.” The agency attends community meetings and has a team of outreach officers.
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While some stats are cause for celebration, Alexander acknowledges that another might be concerning. Homicides were up from 70 in 2015 to 80 by mid-December.
Also, the number of homicides investigators have been able to resolve is down from 82 percent to 70 percent.
It’s hard to know exactly why, but one factor could be the fact that seven investigators left the homicide unit. Alexander said the cause was “natural attrition” factors, such as retirement and new job offers.
Agencies around metro Atlanta are having trouble retaining and recruiting officers, said Frank Rotondo, executive director of the Georgia Association of Chiefs of Police. Among the issues are pay rates and unprecedented levels of scrutiny on police officers in the wake of high-profile shootings.
“No question about it,” Rotondo said Friday. “The reality is you don’t have as many applicants.”
DEKALB CRIME STATS
Statistics courtesy of DeKalb County police
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