Atlanta police

[cityrover]

Without the cops in the FEW areas of downtown, you would be harassed by bums all the time. There are very few areas they actually patrol (including on foot) and i think its great. Yes it does feel a bit weird but locals know the alternative. Id rather see cops than bums and gangbangers

[noah]

This has been the standard at all stadiums since before 9/11 and for good reason. As for presence, NYPD make themselves seen more then anyone else. They are aggressive and known for tactics such as all at once convening 1,000 police cars at one high profile spot to show force and throw terrorists and the like a curve.

Originally Posted by bernsee

And in between innings at the Braves games, 40 cops run out onto the field for the purpose of guarding it I guess. Complete overkill and nothing but a show of force. Why not just have the police stand on the field for the whole game? I go to a baseball game to see a baseball game, not to have police glaring out into the stands every half inning.

[YBF]

Originally Posted by noah

This has been the standard at all stadiums since before 9/11 and for good reason. As for presence, NYPD make themselves seen more then anyone else. They are aggressive and known for tactics such as all at once convening 1,000 police cars at one high profile spot to show force and throw terrorists and the like a curve.

Exactly and on the subway, Penn Station, Almost every other corner in 42nd street....

[bernsee]

I wanted to address a couple of things since I posted this thread.

First, the police downtown don't seem to do anything other than watch the homeless to make sure they don't get out of line I guess. It would be nice if the police, or maybe the city, did something about the homeless issue. The Five Points area is such an eyesore, and I can't believe it is allowed to exist. Can't the city move the homeless, send them to some shelters, get them some help, and start cleaning up downtown?? I've never seen such an inner city slum and such major homeless problems in the middle of a major city. It's an embarrassment. Maybe the city is adapting the Republican way of thinking: Don't expect government to help you out, you're on your own.

The Atlanta police don't really do anything about the homeless, other then stare at them. I was walking down Peachtree a few years ago when it was closed off to traffic, in the middle of the street, because the loiterers and drug dealers were on the sidewalks. Instead of doing something about the drug dealers and loiterers, the cop started screaming at me to get back on the sidewalk. Nice priorities.

Many other baseball teams do not send 40 cops out on the field between innings and turn the game into a police state. They'll send a few security guys out and that's about it. At the Braves games, it's all about a 'show of force'.

The security guy at Piedmont Park riding the golf cart is not actually out looking for crime. He's busting people for minor crap like tying your dog to a tree. Absolutely pathetic.

Having lived in Chicago and DC, you don't just see armed cops walking down the streets every day. You don't see them walking down Michigan Ave or 5th Ave. In Atlanta, you see armed cops walking down Peachtree every day. It's like nothing I've ever seen before.

I hate having to pass by 10 cops before I even get to work in the morning. I hate them laying siege to the MARTA station I use even though it's completely safe. I hate having to walk by the MARTA cops with their attack dogs every week. What the hell is that accomplishing?? I've used subways in DC and Chicago and Boston and I've never seen these attack dogs anywhere else. Seems like complete overkill and nothing but a show of force and completely intimidating.

Whether it's the Atlanta police or security guards, where they are visible, it's usually complete overkill and nothing but a show of force. I went to the Publix on Cheshire Bridge a few months back and standing in front of all the cash registers was a security guard staring back at all of us. I was so disgusted that I complained to the manager. They agreed with me that that was completely unnecessary and I believe they now have the security guy just patroling down the ailes. I went to Russia many years ago when it was still a Communist country and thought that was bad, but this is a million times worse.