Crime in Atlanta - Holy cow what have I gotten myself into? (Buckhead: apartment, lease)

[sonofstarwars74]

Recent transplant from LA - just re-located here to Atlanta and I'm in the process of looking for an apartment - and Man did I ever misjudge how bad crime is here in ATL!! Holy cow ... I've lived for 10 years in Los Angeles, Manhattan and Brooklyn and I never appreciated how safe these big cities are (the statistics bear this out on a per capita basis).

On the other hand, Atlanta not only has some very visibly dicey sections of town (intown) but the statistics are off the charts and confirm that this place ranks WAAY above the median when it comes to crime (property and violent). Even when you take a look at the crime map for supposedly "safe" areas of town, there is much much more crimnal activity being reported than you'd assume.

My question is: can somebody talk me off the ledge here?! I am really having some major concerns now.

Dang.

[tahitiblue]

Sorry - that's one of the main reasons we're getting out of here. This is not a place I want to raise my children.

The primary problem is that the Atlanta police department is basically nonexistent. Morale is rock-bottom, the management is awful, they're hiring other departments' rejects (see the recent AJC story about this) because the pay and working conditions are so bad. Criminals have zero reason to fear the police and it shows.

I feel really bad for those APD officers who are truly trying to do a good job despite everything. Unfortunately, they seem to be in the minority.

[K-SawDude]

Originally Posted by tahitiblue

Sorry - that's one of the main reasons we're getting out of here. This is not a place I want to raise my children.

The primary problem is that the Atlanta police department is basically nonexistent. Morale is rock-bottom, the management is awful, they're hiring other departments' rejects (see the recent AJC story about this) because the pay and working conditions are so bad. Criminals have zero reason to fear the police and it shows.

I feel really bad for those APD officers who are truly trying to do a good job despite everything. Unfortunately, they seem to be in the minority.

Is this simply a budgeting issue (i.e., the police are just woefully understaffed/underfunded)? If so, might we need to pay more in taxes if we expect better protection? (I say this in part to respond to the number of posts in this forum that seem to complain both about the police force AND the supposedly high level of taxes.)

Or are there other fundamental problems (e.g., it's not budgeting as much as incompetent leadership, incompetent cops, crooked cops, etc.)?

[sonofstarwars74]

ugh and now this "Screen on the Green" incident on THU night?

this just seems all bad ...

[tahitiblue]

Originally Posted by K-SawDude

Is this simply a budgeting issue (i.e., the police are just woefully understaffed/underfunded)? If so, might we need to pay more in taxes if we expect better protection? (I say this in part to respond to the number of posts in this forum that seem to complain both about the police force AND the supposedly high level of taxes.)

Or are there other fundamental problems (e.g., it's not budgeting as much as incompetent leadership, incompetent cops, crooked cops, etc.)?

I think it's a combination of many factors, the biggest one being pay. Personally, I have no problem paying higher taxes if those taxes are going directly to officer pay. I lived in a county up north with one of the highest tax rates in the country -- and one of the highest paid police departments in the country too, and it showed 100% in the professionalism of those officers. I don't mind paying more if I'm getting something more for it, and I certainly prioritize safety at the top.

From my understanding, the other problems are mismanagement, favoritism, racial politics (APD is not a great place to be if you're a non-black officer, from what I understand talking to cops in the department) and a general feeling of low morale, that the city doesn't appreciate or care what it does. They're not given the resources or the authority to do what they need to do to reduce crime, and it makes them throw up their hands and say fine, well why do we bother at all?

[K-SawDude]

Originally Posted by tahitiblue

I think it's a combination of many factors, the biggest one being pay. Personally, I have no problem paying higher taxes if those taxes are going directly to officer pay. I lived in a county up north with one of the highest tax rates in the country -- and one of the highest paid police departments in the country too, and it showed 100% in the professionalism of those officers. I don't mind paying more if I'm getting something more for it, and I certainly prioritize safety at the top.

From my understanding, the other problems are mismanagement, favoritism, racial politics (APD is not a great place to be if you're a non-black officer, from what I understand talking to cops in the department) and a general feeling of low morale, that the city doesn't appreciate or care what it does. They're not given the resources or the authority to do what they need to do to reduce crime, and it makes them throw up their hands and say fine, well why do we bother at all?

That's a depressing thing to hear about the local police force. I do hope Reed can make some improvements in that area, and I agree 100% about being willing to pay more for better salaried/better quality police.

[R1070]

I broke my lease and moved from there. It was getting horrible. Atlanta is a gorgeous area but with lots of problems. theres a lot of folks who deny these problems exist and I think thats one of the main reasons what goes on there happens. I wish you the best in you new life there. I would never suggest someone move there.

[sonofstarwars74]

R1070 - Do you think you might have arrived at a different decision had you lived somewhere else in the city? I'm guessing not, as these problems appear to be very pervasive.

As an outsider, it's taken me about 3 weeks to figure out that something just isn't right here; what appears to be going on here is, at best, something I'm just not accustomed to or, at worst, something that is,as you suggest, being rationalized away by a lot of people ... and might end up driving me out of this city.

[back2dc]

Originally Posted by sonofstarwars74

R1070 - Do you think you might have arrived at a different decision had you lived somewhere else in the city? I'm guessing not, as these problems appear to be very pervasive.

As an outsider, it's taken me about 3 weeks to figure out that something just isn't right here; what appears to be going on here is, at best, something I'm just not accustomed to or, at worst, something that is,as you suggest, being rationalized away by a lot of people ... and might end up driving me out of this city.

I too felt something was very "not right" and it is pervasive throughout the area. I've lived in metro Atlanta twice -- back in the 80s as a teenager and more recently in 2007 for about 4 months in Buckhead. I broke my lease and took the first job I could find back in DC. I'm currently trying to get my parents to sell their home in Atlanta and move back up North -- either with me in DC or back to our home state, Connecticut, where we have family.

There does seem to be a lot of denial on the part of some Atlanta residents, and I'm sure I will be attacked on this forum for expressing my opinion. But I think that the golden Atlanta myth that sprung up during the 80s and through the Olympics has started to take a darker turn. Not sure where things are going, but I monitor this forum to stay aware of what is going on near my parents who are getting older and still sometimes have lingering memories of East Cobb in the go-go 80s.

[sonofstarwars74]

wow. this is me feeling sick to my stomach in real time:
Intowners claim crime has grown more brazen | Atlanta | News & Views | News Feature

and this is in one of the most desirable neighborhoods in town?!!

WTF