ATLANTA — Atlanta’s City Council wants Atlanta Police officers to keep their blue lights on — not flashing like during emergencies, but constantly on — during all routine patrols.
Backers of the idea said it’s been a success in other cities, helping improve police visibility and reduce crime.
The Atlanta City Council approved a resolution Monday, urging the police chief to order the blue lights be turned on.
Tuesday, a spokesperson for the Atlanta Police Department emailed 11Alive confirming that officers were already authorized to do that, and it's left up to their judgment as to when it's appropriate, depending on the situation.
"For general patrol we already try to utilize the illuminating blue light method," APD's statement reads. "Please be mindful, for safety sake, there are some instances in which we don’t want announce our presence."
The idea from Atlanta City Councilmember Antonio Lewis sailed through the Council, urging "APD to implement a policy change where APD officers would be required to have their blue lights on from sunset to sunrise," Lewis wrote in a statement emailed to 11Alive. The language in the resolution that Lewis authored reads "from sunrise to sunset." 11Alive is working to reach Lewis for comment.
"I drafted this legislation to increase police visibility, to deter criminals from illegal acts, make it easier to spot a cop in a crisis and to decrease potential bad interactions between police and citizens," Lewis wrote.
Lewis’ resolution notes the increases in violent crimes in Atlanta. The most recent APD data shows homicides are up 43 percent so far in 2022 compared to last year at this time.
According to the resolution, “studies show that the use of (constantly-on) blue lights aids in deterring crime.” Lewis has not responded yet to cite the studies that he's seen.
"This legislation will immediately deter crime by major percentage points if APD goes along with it," Lewis wrote in his statement.
In 2019, the Gwinnett County Police Department began keeping patrol cars’ blue lights on 24 hours a day, hoping to deter crime by making it easier for everyone to see the presence of the police on patrol, and to “provide a level of comfort to the community.”
Gwinnett has not recently provided information about whether its blue lights policy has helped reduce crime. But increasing numbers of police departments across the country are turning their cars’ cruise lights on.
Last week, when the resolution came before the Atlanta City Council's Public Safety Committee, there were no objections from police.