ATLANTA — It's looking much brighter in Atlanta's Old Adamsville Neighborhood.
Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens partnered with Georgia Power and the Department of Transportation to use new street lights in an effort to reduce crime and traffic accidents in the neighborhood he grew up in. The project is called "Light Up The Night."
"We know that where light is that means that fewer car crashes, fewer pedestrian crashes, cyclist crashes--but also that's where criminals like to hide out," Dickens said.
When he started collaborating on this project, Dickens said that areas that weren't as well-lit had higher crime and higher crashes.
Dickens said homicides and other violent crimes are down in Zone 1.
What's up is drug crimes, car theft and shoplifting, according to Atlanta Police's crime index.
"One of the crimes that is up in the city is shoplifting," Dickens said. "And that is inside of a business, it may be a grocery store, it may be a convenience store."
Dickens hopes the lights are a step in the right direction for safety. Georgia Power announced installing, enhancing, or replacing 18,000 lights, with 20,000 more coming across the city.
That also means switching to more energy-efficient LED lights, which Dickens said are brighter than the yellow halogen lights of the past.
Dickens credits the community for their bright ideas.
"Continue to give good ideas because these things are making us safer," Dickens said.