By Andria Simmons
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
GWINNETT, Ga. — It’s been just a month since a new team of law enforcement officers began tackling robberies in Gwinnett, but already robberies have dropped 35 percent, according to Gwinnett County Police Chief Charles Walters.
The Westside precinct, an area encompassing Norcross and parts of Lilburn where street violence is more prevalent, has seen a 58 percent drop in robberies since mid-August, Walters told concerned citizens and business leaders Wednesday at a Gwinnett Village Community Improvement District meeting in Norcross.
About 40 officers were pulled from specialized units around the county last month to form an anti-robbery task force and begin a 60- to 90-day enforcement surge.
Even so, police and those in the business community along Jimmy Carter Boulevard are struggling to overcome a long-standing perception that the area is unsafe.
“When the CID first formed, people did not feel safe,” said Chuck Warbington, executive director for Gwinnett Village. “Again, there was a general perception that crime was going up and up and up in this area. Now the southern part of Gwinnett is no longer a dumping grounds. A lot of positive things are happening.”
In addition to the gains recorded this month by the Gwinnett Police’s new anti-robbery task force, which serves all of the county, stepped-up police patrols in the area of Jimmy Carter Boulevard at night began in June as part of another new enforcement push, the Targeted Enforcement Zone program. Every evening now, two off-duty officers roam the businesses looking for shady characters and suspicious behavior.
The result has been a 37 percent decrease in commercial robberies, Warbington said. Since its inception on June 4, the TEZ program is responsible for two felony arrests, 38 misdemeanor arrests and more than 100 traffic citations. Gwinnett Village CID, a self-taxing business district, developed the TEZ program and bankrolls overtime pay for the officers.
But beyond the crime statistics, Gwinnett Village has also been working to make the Jimmy Carter Boulevard area easier on the eyes. They work with the Gwinnett Police Quality of Life Unit to clean up trash, eliminate sign violations, increase lighting and improve landscaping.
Tidy environments make people feel safer, and “perception is 99 percent of feeling safe,” Walters said.
Copyright 2007 Atlanta Jounal-Constitution