City Government
Community Comes Together to Address Public Safety
City and county officials point out ways they are working to increase residents’ safety.
Some unfortunate incidents this year have Peachtree Corners residents, government officials, visitors, business owners and other stakeholders wondering what needs to be done to decrease crime and keep people safe.
Several people are asking if it’s time for Peachtree Corners to follow the example of nearby cities such as Dunwoody and Johns Creek and create its own police force. Currently, police services for the city are outsourced to Gwinnett County Police.
In reaction, City Councilman Eric Christ presented facts to residents through his newsletter and asked for their input about improving safety measures in the city.
“In my opinion, public safety is the most important responsibility of any elected official and particularly for local government officials. I’ve been focusing on this issue and want to sure with you some of my findings and next steps,” Christ wrote.
Contrary to popular opinion, crime isn’t at its highest level right now, according to data provided by Gwinnett County Police.
“Prior to the pandemic, we were averaging about 100 serious crime incidents per month in Peachtree Corners. Since July 2020, that has dropped to 60 incidents on average. There was a rise in 2021 to about 75 per month but it returned to that 60 average rate by mid-2022,” Christ wrote.
And although the homicide at the QT on Peachtree Industry and the one near Norcross High were perceived as part of a trend, there hadn’t been a murder in Peachtree Corners since May 2021.
The data Christ obtained from police show that the total murders since 2017 is 14, with none in 2018 and highs of four each in 2019 and 2021. Of course, one violent death is one too many. Although police forces across the country are all dealing with the same staffing and resource issues, citizens don’t want to hear excuses.
Typically, we have to respond after these events happen, but what we’re seeing is more and more students, parents and community members are reporting these things to us before they happen, which is allowing us to deal with them.
BERNARD WATSON
Technology extends the long arm of the law
As a main branch of Silicon Orchard, Peachtree Corners is looking to technology to help make the most of the manpower it has. License plate reader cameras have been online for a while now and have assisted police with street takeovers, stolen vehicles and other crimes.
In the spring, an effort among several Gwinnett County agencies thwarted a large takeover which resulted in 88 arrests. Responding to the intersection of Peachtree Corners Circle and Spalding Drive on May 1, officers blocked 26 vehicles. Gwinnett County Police and officers from nearby Norcross and Lilburn, as well as off-duty officers from surrounding areas, were on hand to lend assistance.
When the smoke cleared, 68 adults and 20 juveniles were taken into custody. The cars were impounded, and five handguns were found. Nobody was hurt, but a pizza delivery driver who got caught in the middle of the madness had his car’s windows broken.
The combination of technology and good policing is further enhanced with a system to allow police to access businesses’ security cameras to catch wrong doers in real time. Cameras at The Forum, Town Center and other major commercial areas are allowing Gwinnett Police to keep up with potential criminal activity.
Soon, private citizens will have the opportunity to register their security cameras with police to access video after the fact to help solve crimes. In that sense, it really does take a village to keep us all safe.
Schools take safety seriously
The school district also embraces the concept of one for all and all for one in its approach to safety.
“It is unfortunate that a young man lost his life in a senseless example of violence,” said
Bernard Watson, a spokesman for Gwinnett County Public Schools. “Our superintendent, Dr. Watts, has been very clear about this, from the very beginning. School districts around the country, not just ours, are seeing an uptick in violence and fights and weapons being brought into school.”
After the year and half of virtual learning that many students experienced during the pandemic, it’s not too surprising that social interaction has taken a negative turn.
“When we don’t have that connection with one another, when we’re separated, we have problems. And we’re seeing the effects of the pandemic in our students,” said Watson. “It’s also very clear that these problems are starting in the community and they’re spilling into our schools.”
That’s why GCPS actively works with Gwinnett Police and the other local municipal law enforcement agencies to keep student safety at the forefront. Budget allocations for more mental health professionals and social workers in schools will also help turn the tide.
School officials and law enforcement rely on everyone to make it work. Gwinnett Schools has a hotline that allows anyone to alert officials about mischief or out-and-out mayhem in the works. Of course, the public never knows about the incidents that don’t happen, but officials don’t mind that.
“Although these acts of violence and these threats have been disruptive, …it’s also been positive that we’ve been alerted to these threats …by students and people in the community,” said Watson. “They’re our best resource when it comes to preventing incidents of violence in our schools.”
He added that students, families and the community are strongly encouraged to say something if they see something. “Typically, we have to respond after these events happen, but what we’re seeing is more and more students, parents and community members are reporting these things to us before they happen, which is allowing us to deal with them,” he continued. “But we still need more help. We need additional help from the community.”
City officials agree. With the county expected to double in population in the next 20 years, every security measure is constantly being evaluated.
In his newsletter, Christ pointed out that the city has been looking at ways to incentivize police officers to live in Peachtree Corners with rent subsidies. He also is talking to legislators about ways to keep guns out of the hands of criminals.
Like all elected officials he’s also asking constituents for their opinions.
Although crime isn’t on the rise, and the Gwinnett County Police Department (GCPD) is fulfilling its role in fighting crime, the City of Peachtree Corners is asking residents, business owners and city stakeholders if they believe the city should form its own police department.
With over 100 people in attendance, City Manager Brian Johnson led the discussion about the future of policing in Peachtree Corners. He presented the findings from a survey conducted by the Center for Public Safety Management (CPSM), a nationally-recognized law enforcement consulting and training firm, as well as information about patrol officer staffing, response times, costs to tax payers and a potential timeline.
Ensuring public safety
Johnson kicked off his presentation by explaining that it is the duty of the mayor and city council to ensure public safety, including reviewing law enforcement.
“Maybe it needs to grow, maybe it needs to change its focus. But city council is the one that has the decision-making responsibility,” he said.
He was also adamant that this isn’t a done deal.
“I hit this point already, but I want to hit it again. This is the start of a conversation, a community conversation and feedback to council. There hasn’t been a decision,” he said. “Council has not received this presentation from me. They’re here to watch and learn from your feedback of this.”
Mayor Mike Mason was present at the meeting, along with all of the city council members except Eric Christ who was out of town and watching remotely.
Issues and obstacles
Johnson explained that the grounds for the inquiry were based on issues about communication, access to information and enforcement of city-specific ordinances. He cited an example where a city rule that private residences can’t be rented on a short-term basis like Vrbo or Airbnb wasn’t enforced by GCPD. An owner tried to circumvent the ordinance by only renting the outside of the house. A loud pool party ensued, and frustrated neighbors dialed 911.
“Officers showed up and they said, ‘We can’t enforce the city’s noise ordinance,’” Johnson said.
The first stage to fix this problem was creating the marshal program to bridge the gap between code enforcement and GCPD.
“[We thought] they would be able to enforce both local ordinance and state law, since they are a function of the city, and they could maybe be a force multiplier for Gwinnett since [marshals] don’t have to respond to 911 calls,” said Johnson.
But other issues arose shortly after the department was formed.
“We were still working towards getting that good balance, but we have been faced recently with a couple of things that make it harder for us,” said Johnson.
Seeking shared access
Instead of GCPD giving PTC marshals read-only, quick access to incident reports, dispatch calls and other information, the marshals department was required to file open records requests through the same process as any civilian.
“They were denied, as well as the city of Sugar Hill, [when] asked for the ability to see, not change, but see the computer-aided dispatch information, so that they would know where Gwinnett County police officers were; so that they could avoid stepping on their toes or maybe looking to support their efforts, and they haven’t been granted that,” said Johnson.
He added that the GCPD has video cameras on certain roadways that are used for various reasons, and law enforcement can use them when there’s crime in the area. Peachtree Corners marshals were denied access to those cameras.
“Conversely, we have a couple hundred cameras in the city, and we definitely want them to have access to them,” said Johnson. “So the frustration out of not being able to get that symbiosis between the marshals and police made us start thinking, all right, you know, is there another option?”
Community feedback
CPSM utilized data from GCPD to discern if Peachtree Corners could feasibly stand its own force. It also took into consideration crime trends, costs and many other factors. It recommended a 55-officer department, costing $12.1 million annually, with a $2.2 million upfront cost.
Comparing the two options to “renting vs. owning” the primary law enforcement agency in the city, Johnson presented pros and cons for each. Once the question-and-answer portion began, there was no obvious choice. Men and women, young and more advanced in age, had both similar and differing opinions.
One young man, who identified himself as a local small business owner named Alexander, argued that with artificial intelligence increasing the efficiency of administrative tasks, perhaps the city wouldn’t need a full 68-man department of civilians and sworn officers.
Some accused the city of devising a solution in need of a problem. Others were concerned that paying approximately $100,00 for a study was throwing good money after bad.
But at the end of it all, the city is continuing to seek feedback and is encouraging everyone to make informed decisions. The meeting was taped and is available on the city website along with Johnson’s PowerPoint presentation, a copy of the study done by CPSM and a survey.
As far as a timeline goes, city officials would like folks to take the summer to mull it over and come back in the fall to take another look at the proposal.
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