ATLANTA — Atlanta has already seen 100 homicides this year.
Atlanta Police Department officials confirmed that as of Aug. 11, its officers have handled at least 100 homicide cases, marking the third year in a row that Atlanta's homicide rate has increased.
To note, APD hit this milestone slightly earlier than last year. Data shows for the week of Aug. 15, APD chalked in its 100th homicide case. Around this same period in 2020, APD data shows there were 92 killings.
Last week, Atlanta's interim police chief Darin Schierbaum said the city's homicide rate has declined since April.
"When you look at the homicide trends, they've been decreasing since April of this year," he said during an impromptu news conference. Schierbaum was offering an update on the day's three separate shootings at the time.
Though the statistic is true, as 17 killings alone were recorded in April, for the past three years in a row, the FBI shows the number of murders in Atlanta increasing.
APD hit this grim milestone the same week Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens told city council members there are glimmers of hope in crimes, pointing to police crime data.
By the end of July, Dickens told the committee crimes in the city’s public parks had dropped by 14% this year.
Among the other data he cited
- 20% drop in arrests of juvenile offenders.
- 14% reduction in crimes committed in city parks.
- 3% drop in crimes against persons in July, compared to the previous month.
- No violent crimes in 2022 at Lenox Square, the site of some high-profile violence in recent years.
- Sharp drops in "calls for service" in complaints about individuals peddling water alongside public streets.
As Atlanta works to execute more crime-fighting initiatives, leaders are asking the public to rethink how they approach conflict resolution and to keep their emotions in check.
Schierbaum has said much of the violence stems from anger.
"But moments of anger? That is why we're appealing to the citizens. We can't stop moments of anger," he said.
Below is a map of homicides comparing 2021 to 2022.