Crime in Atlanta

Atlanta
Crime rates (2007)
Crime type	Rate*
Homicide:	26
Forcible rape:	30
Robbery:	719
Aggravated assault:	849
Violent crime:	1,624
Burglary:	1,782
Larceny-theft:	4,093
Motor vehicle theft:	1,412
Property crime:	7,582
Notes * Number of reported crimes per 100,000 population.
Source: FBI 2007 UCR data

Crime in Atlanta, Georgia, while above the national median and a major problem for the city since the middle 20th century, has been declining since the late 1990s. Between 2001 and 2009 the crime rate in Atlanta dropped by 40 percent, according to the FBI. Homicide fell 57 percent. Rape was down 72 percent. Violent crime overall was down 55 percent. Atlanta’s public safety improvement has occurred at more than twice the rate of the rest of the country. Crime is down across the country, but Atlanta’s improvement has far surpassed the national trend. This relative improvement explains why Atlanta—after ranking in the top five highest crime cities for most of the previous three decades—now ranks 31st. Atlanta has lower crime than Salt Lake City, Orlando and Tacoma, Washington.^[1] The city is served by the Atlanta Police Department, which has an estimated 1,700 officers working in the force. Atlanta is divided into six police zones.

At certain points in its history, Atlanta has been known for high crime rates, particularly property crime and homicides. Much of the city's crime, however, is centralized in most of its western neighborhoods and scattered neighborhoods adjacent to Atlanta Hartsfield International Airport. These include Grove Park, Center Hill, and Bankhead, one of the most crime-infested neighborhoods of Atlanta.

History

An Atlanta police car

During the 1970s, like with many large cities within the United States, Atlanta's population began to decline. By 1990, the population was 394,017, down almost 20% from its population in 1970, which was 496,973.^[2] In addition, the city center and surrounding areas began to go through an urban decay, and crime spiked significantly throughout the 1980s. Along with many other major cities in the United States, Atlanta was hard hit by the crack epidemic of most of the 1980s to early 1990s. In 1994, Atlanta was ranked the most dangerous city in the country by the Morgan Quitno Press.^[3] In 2007, drug-related crime in metro Atlanta increased slightly, in part due to Atlanta becoming an important distribution center for cocaine, and other related drugs imported from Mexico.^[4][5] These increases were mostly seen in Fulton, Gwinnett, DeKalb, Cobb, and Clayton counties. Many law enforcement agencies in the area have joined forces together with the Atlanta Police Department in an effort to decrease the overall crime in metro Atlanta.^[6] In addition, due to large amounts of gentrification and other revitalization projects in the city core, crime continued to fall, even amidst the hard economic times of the late-2000s.^[7]

Notable incidents

• Atlanta murders of 1979-1981 — A series of murders that started from the summer of 1979 and ended in the spring of 1981. Twenty children were killed in this incident.
• Atlanta Prison Riots — A series of riots in 1987. One hundred people were made hostage and a portion of the Atlanta Federal Penitentiary was burned.
• Fred Tokars — 1992 murder of Sara Tokars^[8][9]
• Centennial Olympic Park bombing — Killed 2 people and injured 111 during the 1996 Summer Olympics.
• Etowah High School shootings — A 15-year-old committed suicide at his economics class.
• Brian Nichols — Known for 2005 escape and killing spree in the Fulton County Courthouse and later killing an off-duty federal agent.

See also

• Crime in the United States
• Crime mapping
• FBI Atlanta Field Office

References

1. ^ Edwards, David (November 1, 2010). "How to create a safer Atlanta". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. http://www.ajc.com/opinion/how-to-create-a-711260.html. Retrieved December 13, 2010. 
2. ^ [1]
3. ^ The First Safest/Most Dangerous City Listing. Morgan Quitno Press. Lawrence, Kansas, United States. 1994.
4. ^ . September 17, 2008. http://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/stories/2008/09/15/daily55.html. 
5. ^ . October 29, 2008. http://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/stories/2008/10/27/daily52.html?q=cocaine%20in%20Atlanta. 
6. ^ [2]
7. ^ [3]
8. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AeYlBxd79sg
9. ^ http://www.law.uga.edu/academics/profiles/dwilkes_more/24lessons.html

External links

• Atlanta Crime Map
• Atlanta Police Department