Board members for Buckhead Community Improvement District (BCID), a self-taxing district that uses additional commercial property taxes to accelerate infrastructure improvements, today voted unanimously to approve $297,000 in funds to complement and enhance current public safety and security initiatives within the boundaries of the CID.

With a rise in property crime of 9% in the City of Atlanta and with COVID-19 threatening a decrease in frontline responders, the board agreed that extra steps should be taken to ensure the safety of residents and visitors in the district. The enhancements include:

A dedicated off-duty supplemental patrol officer in an Atlanta Police Department (APD) and BCID co-branded vehicle designed to deter crime and build community relations

This patrol is in addition to on-duty APD patrols

Patrols will take place from 6 p.m. to 2 a.m., six days a week within the CID boundaries only

The cost is $150,000 for 2020, which includes the cost of a dedicated and branded vehicle

Seven additional pan, tilt and zoom (PTZ) security cameras and three license plate readers (LPRs) that are integrated into the Operation Shield camera network and placed throughout the district to mitigate the increase in property crimes ($107,000)

Six mobile, solar-powered combination camera and LPRs that will be deployed at various businesses, parking lots and strip malls to reduce breaking and entering crimes. These mobile camera-equipped trailers, also integrated into the Operation Shield camera network, have proven effective in quickly deploying technical assets to the police department and business community ($40,000)

"We’re delighted to partner with the Buckhead CID in providing enhanced security and surveillance for the Buckhead community,” said Dave Wilkinson, president & CEO, of the Atlanta Police Foundation. “This collaboration between APF and the Buckhead CID is a prime example of the power of public/private partnerships to make our city safe. These investments will enable APD to install cameras that will expand the Operation Shield canopy of surveillance cameras, as well as to establish a Buckhead patrol whose sole mission will be the safety and security of Buckhead residents and businesses.”

These investments were developed in partnership with Atlanta Police Foundation, Zone 2 of the Atlanta Police Department and the Buckhead CID. The CID has a long-standing history of supporting, complementing and investing in public safety initiatives in partnership with local law enforcement, which allows the CID to address the immediate and future needs of the Buckhead community.

“I am very pleased that the CID board today approved the expenditure of significant funds to bolster Atlanta Police Department efforts to address the safety of employees, residents and visitors within our district,” said Jim Durrett, executive director – BCID. “Our close working relationships with the Atlanta Police Foundation and the Atlanta Police Department’s Zone 2 leadership were integral to helping us make this important decision,” he added.

Last year, BCID provided funding for other safety and security initiatives in collaboration with Livable Buckhead, a nonprofit organization that strives to ensure the long-term vitality and prosperity of the Buckhead community. Those initiatives include the launch of a multi-pronged public safety campaign to reduce the number of car break-ins, the development of a public safety committee to improve the flow of security-related information and requests to commercial property owners to connect their private security camera to the APD’s Operation Shield network.