BUCKHEAD, Ga. — A new Atlanta Police precinct is now open in the Buckhead community.
Buckhead leaders joined Mayor Andre Dickens and Atlanta's Police Chief Rodney Bryant to reveal the new facility at One Buckhead Plaza on Peachtree Road NW at the intersection of West Paces Ferry Road at 10 a.m.
"Just over a week ago, at my inauguration, I promised the people of Atlanta that our administration would redeem the soul of Atlanta. The soul of our city together. We will be one city with one bright future," Dickens said while making the announcement during the annual Eggs and Issues Legislative Preview Wednesday.
A surging crime rate has been one of the biggest issues spurring people in Buckhead to push to form their own city.
"There is a lack of love and appreciation for our police. The Atlanta Police Department is completely demoralized," Bill White, CEO and chairman of the Buckhead City Committee, previously told 11Alive back in Aug. 2021.
At the time, White said he and others in the community were seeking to boost Buckhead's own police force by tackling crime through an increased officer presence.
"The minimum at a time would be 250 police officers," White said of the committee’s plan, which can be found further detailed online.
Dickens said leaders anticipate at least a dozen officers will operate from the new space by this summer.
While Dickens did not specify how many officers total would eventually be assigned to the new station, the Buckhead police precinct announcement could possibly serve as a rebuttal to the community's cityhood movement. However, at the unveiling, both the mayor and police chief said the Buckhead cityhood movement is not the main factor in creating this precinct.
"While some may want to use this to break us apart, we know that, as a city, we are stronger together," Dickens said at Eggs and Issues.
At the unveiling, Dickens said he wants everyone in Atlanta to feel safe in their communities.
"As I said before, we will be one city, with one bright future," he added.
Atlanta Police said the precinct will mainly serve as a traffic response center in order to free up beat officers to respond to high priority calls. The plan is to use a new class of recruits to staff the facility.
Bryant also commented on the increase of crime in the area, stating the police department devised a strategy specifically to address crime rates in Buckhead.
"The growth that we're seeing in Buckhead exceeds what we're seeing in other areas. That's why we're initiating this effort here first," he said. "It's because of the need and nothing else."
Dickens said the city is accepting donations and that the Buckhead Coalition has already committed $150,000 to development.
The response comes as APD data suggests some violent crime in Atlanta has started to decline in the last few months, following a spike in violent crime that was seen in major metro areas around the country last year.