Livable Buckhead, with funding provided by the Buckhead Community Improvement District, is launching a multi-pronged campaign to reduce the number of vehicle break-ins in Buckhead.
Theft from automobiles accounts for more than a third of Buckhead crimes and is largely preventable, according to a press release. Livable Buckhead is taking that message to the public, reminding drivers to take or hide valuables and lock their doors every time they leave a parked vehicle.
“Unfortunately, we’ve got a target-rich environment in Buckhead,” said Denise Starling, executive director of Livable Buckhead. “People come here to shop or visit and leave valuable items in their cars, including guns, not realizing that they’re making themselves a target and contributing to a larger problem. There’s a very straightforward fix for it, though. If everyone who drives to Buckhead will take or hide their valuables and lock their doors when they leave their vehicles, we will see a decrease in the number of break-ins.”
Livable Buckhead is partnering with local commercial property owners and managers to raise the visibility of the “take, hide, lock” message. Soon visitors to Buckhead office buildings and retail establishments will see signs reminding them to “take, hide, lock” as they leave parking decks and enter buildings. The campaign will also include outreach through social media and Livable Buckhead’s other direct outreach to area commuters and residents.
In addition to public education, the campaign is also improving the flow of security-related information across Buckhead. Livable Buckhead has created a public safety committee on its board of directors and convened a working group of security directors for commercial properties that meets quarterly to share information and get updates from Zone 2 of the Atlanta Police Department. Livable Buckhead has also facilitated real-time communication between the security directors, enabling them to alert one another to potential security issues across the commercial district.
Another element of the campaign is to encourage police officers and firefighters to live in Buckhead by offering an increased housing subsidy. The Buckhead CID has long offered a one-time payment of $1,000 to offset housing costs. The new subsidy is $650 per month and will be available for five officers.
Information: livablebuckhead.org.
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