WESTSIDE SECURITY PLAN
A NEW DIRECTION
FOR AN HISTORIC
COMMUNITY
Operation Shield
Secure
Neighborhoods
@PROMISE
Youth Initiative
KEY
PROGRAMS
FOR PUBLIC
SAFETY
SUCCESS:
EXPECTED OUTCOMES BY 2020:
• 10% reduction in crime on the Westside over three years
• More ecient, real-time processing of information and crime analytics
• Faster response times of first responders
• Increased police visibility and presence in all Westside neighborhoods
• Improved collaboration with all public safety stakeholders
• Improved community relationships and engagement
• Decrease in youth arrests and recidivism rates by 10% annually
• 90% of @PROMISE participants complete the program
• 75% reduction in the truancy rate of @PROMISE participants
GREAT
EXPECTATIONS
FOR THE WESTSIDE
Broken windows. Boarded-up houses. Trash-covered, empty lots. Grati scrawled across doors, walls,
telephone poles and just about any other surface. These are the images that tell the story of drugs, crime,
prostitution and decay. Despite its prominent history and proximity to Atlanta’s most famed institutions and
attractions, the Westside community today is plagued by crime, addiction, joblessness, and poverty due to a
lack of opportunities.
However, there is also much pride within this community. In its heyday, the area was a thriving family-based
community and boasted a prosperous commercial district. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. called the area home after
moving into the community in 1967, and his widow Coretta Scott King continued to live in the area until 2004.
The Atlanta Police Foundation (APF) is spearheading a public safety strategy to attack the criminality plaguing
the area by introducing proven tactics including: deploying Operation Shield in the community, expanding the
Secure Neighborhoods program to increase police visibility, and creating an opportunity for local youth with
the @PROMISE Youth Initiative. The APF’s Westside program is a collaborative eort that brings together
community and private sector partners to implement sustainable initiatives that will revitalize the Westside
community.
CREATING CHANGE THROUGH TECHNOLOGY
Technology is changing the way the Atlanta Police
Department operates. The APF’s Westside initiative
will expand Operation Shield, throughout the Westside
communities by growing the number of cameras and License
Plate Readers to facilitate criminal investigations, improve
situational awareness and function as a crime deterrent. This
network of advanced technologies creates more ecient
policing through the citywide network of surveillance cameras
and LPRs, predictive policing platform and criminal analytics
software. Operation Shield will enhance security for the
residents and businesses in the area.
SURVEILLANCE CAMERA NETWORK
The Loudermilk Family Video Integration Center (VIC) is a cutting-edge facility that serves
as the hub for Operation Shield. The VIC houses a team of analysts who manage the City’s
more than 7,600 surveillance camera network that yields unprecedented crime deterrence
potential, and has the capacity to solve crimes and take criminals o the streets faster.
The system is unique in that it allows existing video surveillance cameras owned by private
business partners to be integrated and monitored in a centralized location. The network
will expand to more than 10,000 cameras by 2018.
Through public and private partnerships, more than 100 cameras were
installed and integrated in the Westside Tax Allocation District in 2016.
OPERATION SHIELD
STRATEGIES:
Install and integrate
cameras into the VIC as
well as place Atlanta Police
Department signage in
targeted areas.
Utilize advanced
analytics and product
development through
commitment to research
and development of
cutting edge technology.
Identify strategic
locations on the
Westside and the
Atlanta University
Center for additional
cameras to be installed.
SECURE
NEIGHBORHOODS
WESTSIDE SECURITY PATROL
The Westside Security Patrol, known as Westside Blue, is a community
policing initiative comprised of o-duty Atlanta Police ocers who
provide additional police presence and security in targeted areas. This
model allows ocers to engage with the community on personal level
to strengthen and enhance community and police relationships.
Westside Blue works in conjunction with the English Avenue and Vine
City neighborhood associations and public safety committees.
Through financial support from the Arthur M. Blank Foundation, the
Atlanta Police Department and Westside community members will
provide administrative oversight for the Security Patrol. The program
enhances police patrols currently assigned to the English Avenue
and Vine City communities; it will not take the place of established
community ocers.
INCREASED POLICE VISIBILITY
The APF has created new opportunities for ocers to purchase
homes in strategic neighborhoods throughout Atlanta, to increase
police visibility and enhance engagement between the APD and the
citizens they serve. Studies by the APF have shown a 10-15 percent
reduction in property crimes in neighborhoods where ocers have
moved. Through partnerships with local builders and contractors,the
APF will build 20-25 homes on the Westside by 2020, and will
continue to provide incentives to ocers who move into the City.
HOME OF THE FIRST SECURE NEIGHBORHOODS OFFICER
PROGRAMS:
• Arts and Media
• Educational Services
• Family Support (Peer/Parent
Support Group)
• Full Range of Abuse Counseling
• High-Risk Behavior Prevention
Programming
• Life Skills and Individual Career
Planning
• Mentoring /Relationship
Management/Conflict Resolution
• Employment Services
SITE OF THE @PROMISE YOUTH CENTER
AT-PROMISE, NO
T AT RISK
Youth are the future of our community; and we envision a city that positively embraces and provides
dynamic opportunities for growth and development. Ultimately, AT-PROMISE brings police and community
partners together to create pathways to success. This model focuses on three major areas:
1. DIVERSION - an alternative to arrest
2. INTERVENTION - strategies to address behavior
3. PREVENTION - to promote and foster personal growth and development.
AT
-PROMISE empowers youth to realize their full potential to become the future leaders of Atlanta.
The @PROMISE Youth Center will be transformed into a state-of-the-art learning and community facility
with specialized services for youth and a gathering place for residents, group activities and other purposes.
Located in historic English Avenue, is an opportunity to participate in the revitalization eorts of this
neighborhood.
AT-PROMISE
YOUTH INITIATIVE
www.atlantapolicefoundation.org