Public Safety

Peachtree Corners Explores New Kind of Law Enforcement

Published

1 year ago

December 21, 2022

Arlinda Smith Broady

City Marshals may become a new hybrid between code enforcement and police officer.

The City of Peachtree Corners is growing its reputation as an incubator for smart technology. It is poised on the cutting edge of putting that genius to practical applications such as driverless shuttles and electric vehicle charging systems that may one day make it possible to drive from coast to coast without stopping to charge. However, the city is still in the shadow of recent violent crimes.

Several incidents this year have worried residents, government officials and city stakeholders that the quaint metro Atlanta bedroom community is becoming a target for murders and robberies. A man was shot and killed in the middle of a botched carjacking in July. In November, a Norcross High student was shot and killed in broad daylight near the school.

City leaders are testing and deploying smart technology, such as license plate readers and an extended video system using government, commercial business and home security cameras. Still, residents aren’t sure that’s enough.

The system has been scaled across the city and, to date, has helped recover more than $3 million in stolen property, and it has helped detectives solve multiple cases.

But some residents are asking to supplement the new-fangled stuff with some old-fashioned solutions such as employing a city police force. While that idea hasn’t been quashed entirely, the prohibitive costs make it somewhat unattractive in a city that assesses no personal property tax.

City considering marshals

Peachtree Corners isn’t looking at a crime wave of the magnitude the city of Atlanta faces every day. However, the most recent incidents, along with a rise in property crimes, is concerning. To address those concerns, the city is look at a compromise of sorts.

City Manager Brian Johnson recently spoke to Peachtree Corners Magazine during the Peachtree Corners Life podcast. He said the city is considering activating a city marshal system. Instead of a full-on police force, this could be a little different and still have the authority of the police.

“We have had some unfortunate incidents of late with deaths. There’s been some other crime and it’s not uncommon as we densify. As Metro Atlanta grows, Peachtree Corners is growing. And the more people you have in an area, there’s just more opportunities for bad actors,” said Johnson.

“So, there’s this unfortunate rise in these kinds of things. And, you know, property crime is still our main criminal activity type here, but we are just becoming more and more of a target for bad actors,” he said.

Johnson pointed out intersection takeovers. One of the most egregious happened around Easter Sunday.

“You’ve got these car clubs that are seizing control of an intersection and doing all sorts of dangerous things with automobiles,” Johnson said. “Even the failed carjacking that resulted in that death was a group of teens who specifically were targeting communities that had more affluence and better automobiles that they could do that slider crime where, you know, somebody’s pumping gas, or in this case, filling air in their tires not near the driver’s side, and they slide into the seat.”

He added that oftentimes, in those instances, the cars are still running, or the keys are left in the ignition.

Even with the increased crime-fighting efforts, there is the perception that crime has catapulted in a short span of time. But Johnson pointed out that the technology is working — especially the camera system.

“In the case of these two murders, our LPR [license plate recognition] cameras, the Fūsus network, …ended up being the method in which the police were able to identify the gunman — and find the gunman. So, they work,” said Johnson. “Unfortunately, they were used after a crime was committed. We’d like to do things to prevent it, but those are examples of what we’ve done so far.”

Gaps and potential solutions

The Peachtree City Council tasked Johnson with seeking out expert opinions of what other solutions may deter crime. Although Gwinnett County Police Department’s (GCPD) West Precinct is doing a good job with the resources it has, it is handcuffed with staffing shortages and the policy constraints that countywide police departments have.

“There are sometimes gaps in the ability to direct resources based on Peachtree Corners’ specific needs,” said Johnson.

The two considered options were to start up a Peachtree Corners Police Department, which would be redundant at times, based on the current service that Gwinnett PD provides when it does have the resources, or look for a different kind of law enforcement office.

“This gap is kind of between code enforcement officers, which are specifically oriented to enforcing local code and local code only, and law enforcement that’s enforcing state law,” Johnson explained. “There is a gap. The gap can be filled if we started up what we’re calling a City Marshal office, very similar to what Sugar Hill has.”

He noted that the positions would be filled by Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) certified officers.

“The intent here is to have some people who are able to fill this gap by the authority vested in their position. And be able to have them controlled by the city so that they can be directed in areas that might be really important to Peachtree Corners,” Johnson said.

A good example of how this would work is the Norcross High incident. The victim had been off campus during school hours.

“There is a truancy problem of students cutting class and cutting through the woods into the back of businesses that border Norcross High School,” he said. “Those businesses are being adversely affected. The shooting was an unfortunate result of it. But the truancy continues on with students trespassing and doing things like destroying property, dealing drugs, doing drugs.”

An internal city marshal would be a deterrent to crime and a service to the businesses, he added.

“I can tell the city marshal, ‘I want you to go out to the school and I want you to do a presence patrol during the hours where there are gaps in these kids’ schedules …I want you to be driving around the back of those businesses,’” said Johnson. “This will allow us to detain somebody until a Gwinnett Police Officer gets there to arrest them.”

At this point, it looks like there would be three city marshals, Johnson said. The marshals wouldn’t be needed 24/7, as Gwinnett Police would continue to provide the majority of police protection.

Need and benefits of city marshals

In his last newsletter for the year, City Councilman Alex Wright further clarified the need for city marshals and how the officers would fit into Peachtree Corners’ public safety plans.

Charts featured in Councilman Alex Wright’s recent newsletter

Wright was quick to point out that despite perception, crime has decreased in Peachtree Corners. Robbery, commercial burglary, theft, entering autos and motor vehicle theft are all down this year from the same period last year.

And the cameras are working. According to the city’s crime report, they aided in recovering four stolen vehicles and apprehending two wanted people.

The concept isn’t new. Other Gwinnett County cities — Sugar Hill, Buford and Berkeley Lake — utilize city marshals.

Wright gave examples of situations that have created the need for the city marshal program.

The legal department at Gwinnett County has instructed the GCPD not to enforce city specific ordinances. An example of how this is a problem was when a large, loud party held in a residential neighborhood.

A resident called the police. The police showed up, but since the ordinance they were violating was a city-specific noise ordinance, the police had been instructed not to intervene. So, the party proceeded.

In this instance, a city marshal would be empowered to enforce the ordinance and, if necessary, issue orders to cease and even make arrests, with the same powers as a police officer. A code officer cannot do that.

Unruly behavior at the Town Center is another example. The off-duty police officer is not actively patrolling. He is sitting in his car — and the city has no authority to direct him.

A city marshal would be able to enforce city ordinances and keep the peace.

City Government

Crime and Safety Concerns Dominate Town Hall Meeting

Published

3 weeks ago

March 27, 2024

Arlinda Smith Broady

Eric Christ

Besides his monthly newsletter, Peachtree Corners City Councilman Eric Christ occasionally hosts town hall meetings to allow constituents to catch up on what’s going on and give him feedback on a variety of issues.

On Sunday, March 24, several dozen residents and stakeholders gathered for updates at City Hall’s Community Chest room. Christ probably expected the gathering to last 90 minutes at the most, but the discussion lasted nearly three hours as he shared information about the Marshal program, development projects, the new dog park, deer and the May 21 primary election.

Cutting down on crime

Probably to nobody’s surprise, crime and public safety took up the bulk of the meeting. Christ wanted the audience to take away that crime in Peachtree Corners is down 25% from pre-pandemic times. He showed a chart with crime rates from 2019 through 2023 that showed a significant drop in crime overall.

Residential burglaries are down by 48%.
Thefts are down by 34%.
Robberies are down by 24%.

“Prior to the pandemic in 2017, 2018 and 2019 we were averaging about 100 total [part one crimes] every month, and that dropped almost by half during the pandemic. Then, in 2021, it went back up a little bit again,” said Christ.

Even though the rate has increased year over year since 2020, it has not returned to pre-COVID levels. However, compared to the previous year, crime has increased by 23%. One solution may be the new City Marshal program that kicked off in November.

Having a relatively small population, the most heinous crimes, such as homicide and aggravated assault, have stayed lower than in many other areas. However, auto thefts, car break-ins, robberies and other property crimes remain somewhat high.

The City Marshal’s involvement

Chief City Marshal Edward Restrepo gave anecdotal evidence that the marshal program is working and will continue to get better because it fills the gaps left between the Gwinnett Police Department and the city’s code enforcement department.

“We had a jewelry store robbery, and about the time we came in, we had started building up the camera registry as well as the integration system of cameras all around the city,” said Restrepo. “With only three of us, we have to rely on technology as much as we can.”

Although the marshals didn’t apprehend the bad guys, their assistance helped other law enforcement officers do their jobs more effectively. Several residents asked if there were plans to increase the marshal force to provide 24-hour, 7-day-a-week service.

The initial cost was around $900,000, said Christ, and maintaining the three officers and an administrative assistant will require about $700,000. Although Peachtree Corners doesn’t levy a property tax, the city’s share of county taxes goes toward that type of expense.

“It’s up to the people of Peachtree Corners if they want to increase the program,” said Christ. “It will come at a price.”

Those in attendance indicated that they thought that would be money well spent. Several said they liked seeing marshals at city-sponsored events because it sent a message that Peachtree Corners is serious about keeping its residents and visitors safe.

Christ said he and the rest of the council would consider that, but he reminded everyone that they should still report crimes to the police.

“I’ve had people tell me that they left a message on the city’s answering machine on a Friday evening and hadn’t heard back,” he said. “I tell them the first step is always to call 911.”

Catch the episode of the UrbanEBB podcast featuring Edward Restrepo from this past January here:

Chief City Marshal Edward Restrepo: Explore the Future of Community Policing

Community

Peachtree Corners City Marshal’s Office Launches New Program to Curtail Vandalism at Town Center

Published

2 months ago

February 6, 2024

Peachtree Corners Magazine staff

The City of Peachtree Corners’ Marshal’s Office, in conjunction with the Gwinnett County Police Department, is currently developing a program to address the increase in vandalism-related incidents at the Town Center and The Forum.

Over the past 45 days, several vandalism-related events have occurred in the stairwells of the Town Center parking deck. As a result of the vandalism, the Marshal’s Office has developed and implemented both a short-term and long-term solution.

As an immediate action, the Marshal’s Office placed temporary motion-activated cameras in strategic locations within the Town Center parking deck stairwells.

The placement of these cameras has led to the identification and capture of several of the individuals responsible for multiple incidents of tagging and graffiti that were occurring.

As a long-term solution, the city has installed video cameras that are equipped with geofencing, motion alerting, object detection and speaker features to aid in the identification of suspects as well as curtail any future vandalism of the deck and stairwells.

More recently, the Marshal’s Office has seen additional tagging and graffiti spread to other areas of the Town Center property. The city has deployed temporary solutions to other areas that have led to the successful identification of several suspects responsible for these illegal activities.

The City of Peachtree Corners and the Marshal’s Office want the public to understand that safety is of the highest priority and the destruction and defacing of city property will not be tolerated.

The city will continue to use the latest technologies and preventative strategies to ensure that visitors to the Town Center feel safe and have the best experience possible.

If any member of the public observes any illegal activity at the Town Center, The Forum, or any other locations within Peachtree Corners, the city urges them to contact 911 and report the incident.

Public Safety

North American Properties Invests in Security Tech at The Forum

Published

4 months ago

December 10, 2023

Peachtree Corners Magazine staff

North American Properties has invested in software from Flock Safety and Fusus, to enhance its security at The Forum Peachtree Corners.

According to the National Retail Federation’s 2023 National Retail Security Survey, external theft, including organized retail crime (ORC), accounted for an average of 36% of retail sales losses in 2022. Now more than ever, brands and landlords alike are seeking tools to mitigate this issue.

Organizations such as the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) are advocating for both through Congressional support for the INFORM Consumers Act and S. 140/H.R. 895, the bipartisan “Combating Organized Retail Crime Act of 2023.”

In response to this rising threat, North American Properties (NAP) has invested in bridging software from two Atlanta-based companies, Flock Safety and Fusus, to enhance its security measures at The Forum Peachtree Corners.

“With our ongoing commitment to revolutionizing the retail real estate industry through technology and innovation, we are proud to partner with local municipalities and law enforcement agencies on curating secure communities for our guests, tenants and employees,” said Jay Richard-Yu, NAP director of innovation and digital assets.

“Technology has the power to automate workflows, and binding these assets will provide management with an advanced, interconnected approach toward combating ORC at The Forum,” he added.

Flock Safety’s license plate recognition software

Co-founded by Georgia Tech alumni Garrett Langley and Matt Feury in 2017, Flock Safety is an all-in-one technology solution designed to eliminate crime and keep communities safe.

Flock License Plate Recognition (LPR) cameras provide objective evidence to help solve crimes, 70% of which are committed with a vehicle, and prevent potential issues, including shoplifting, parking lot break-ins and vehicle theft.

The cameras capture license plates and vehicle characteristics, not people or faces, and send real-time alerts to security personnel and/or law enforcement when a vehicle associated with a known offender or endangered person passes the camera.

Flock Safety is trusted by more than 4,000 communities across the country and has raised over $330 million in venture capital from leading firms such as Andreessen Horowitz, Axon Bedrock Capital, and Matrix Partners, among others.

Furthermore, the company has recently achieved a ranking on the 2023 Deloitte Technology Fast 500 and has been acknowledged as one of the top 4% of companies on the Inc. 5000 Fastest-Growing Private Companies list.

The Forum has been equipped with Flock LPR cameras for two years, and NAP bolstered the property’s security infrastructure this fall through a public-private partnership with the City of Peachtree Corners, adding 27 external cameras across the site.

Streamlining critical communications with Fusus

To further streamline surveillance and communication processes between the onsite security team and local law enforcement, Fusus has also been integrated into the multi-layered camera system through its proprietary CORE appliance.

Fusus was Launched in Peachtree Corners during the summer of 2019 by U.S. Navy veteran Chris Lindenau, CEO, and U.S. Army veteran Anthony Baldoni, COO.

Fusus is a cloud-based, Real-Time Crime Center and Security Operations platform that extracts and unifies live video, data and sensor feeds from public and private sources, enhancing the situational awareness and investigative capabilities of law enforcement agencies.

Merging resources into a single, efficient and unified stream of information, Fusus allows for policy-based, intelligence-led policing and faster emergency response times.

Fusus currently powers over 250 crisis command centers globally. Earlier this year, the company was ranked 70th on Inc. Magazine’s list of 5000 Fastest-Growing Private Companies and named a Best Place to Work by the Atlanta Business Chronicle.

It has also received several Stevie American Business Awards and ASTORS, the preeminent U.S. Homeland Security awards program.

Crime prevention in Peachtree Corners

Recognized as this year’s 19th Best Place to Live for Families by Fortune Magazine, the City of Peachtree Corners recently implemented a Marshal Program to serve as a non-emergency force multiplier and liaison between the community and the Gwinnett County Police Department.

It has also deployed Connect Peachtree Corners, a new public safety program enabling local residents and businesses to register cameras within the community-wide network to aid local law enforcement in gathering timely evidence during active investigations.

“The City has enhanced its camera program by deploying Automated License Plate Readers and cameras in strategic locations,” said Peachtree Corners Mayor Mike Mason.

“The City’s Connect Peachtree Corners program for residents and businesses to register their cameras has been very well-received. The inclusion of The Forum within the Fusus platform will expand our ability to provide a high level of public safety,” he explained.

NAP acquired The Forum through a joint venture partnership with Nuveen Real Estate in March 2022 and has since increased its security coverage by 35% as part of an ongoing redevelopment effort. Learn more about the retrofit project here.

To view NAP’s mixed-use portfolio, visit leasing.naproperties.com, and follow the company on LinkedIn and X to keep up with happenings.