Atlanta Mayor Keisha Bottoms has announced she is naming interim police chief Rodney Bryant as permanent chief, and asked the City Council to approve that appointment.
Homicides classified by the department as “gang-related'' increased by 44% and represent just under half of shooting victims this year, according to Moore, and the city has experienced a 41% increase in victims shot in gang-related shootings.
Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms said 90 police recruits are currently in the pipeline, and that she is working with the City Council to enact a retention bonus for officers. The department is about 400 officers under its authorized level.
Atlanta Interim Police Chief Rodney Bryant is enlisting the advice of former police chiefs and senior veteran officers to gather ideas on how to combat rising crime in the city.
Chief Eddie Garcia, 50, said he felt the statistics and perception of crime in the city went hand in hand — and that both had to go in the opposite direction. He said he felt residents can judge whether his plans are successful by their perceptions of crime in the city, how present officers are and their collaborations with the community.
Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson said the swell of violent crime required an “all-hands-on-deck response.”
Religious groups have been increasingly targeted, as officials saw a nearly 14 percent increase in attacks against Jews and Jewish institutions, the report found.
City leaders are considering whether to bring in deputies from the Hennepin County Sheriff's Office and officers from the Metro Transit police to help.
The Los Angeles Police Department is set to downsize its robbery and homicide division as part of a series of moves aimed to address defunding challenges. The cuts come as homicides spiked by about 25% this year compared with 2019.
“That may mean you making commitments that might be uncomfortable for some of those constituents that you represent, but if your ultimate goal is to have true community safety, I will tell you right now, we have to work together in that effort,” Chief Medaria Arradondo said.