As the Atlanta festival season gets under way, expect to see more of APD’s Mounted Patrol

ATLANTA — The Atlanta Police Department Mounted Patrol commander says that, now that the weather is warmer, his officers and horses will push hard on crime suppression in city parks.

Lt. Greg Lyon with the Atlanta Police Department told Channel 2 investigative reporter Mark Winne that in the months to come, you can expect to see them often in city parks, trying to keep the reins pulled tight on crime there.

“A lot of what we’re doing is visibility, and presence, and suppressing crime while we’re doing it,” Lyon said. “Our presence alone is great for crime suppression. People see us and decide maybe it’s not a good idea to commit a crime with a horse around.”

Lyon said every day that his officers are in the saddle, people stop what they are doing when the Atlanta Police Mounted Patrol rides by.

He is hoping the mounted patrol will also motivate criminals will to stop their behavior if they are targeting Atlanta’s parks.

“We call it the ‘3 C’s’: crime, community and crowds.”

Lyon said the mounted patrol’s summer initiative will push particularly hard on parks.

“This is part of our summer plan of action. I know it’s spring, we have spring break going on, and this is a good way to start,” Lyon said.

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APD said stats for crime in or very near city parks, starting in 2018 and continuing until recently, show Piedmont Park with the highest levels of property crime by far, though others have had more violent crime.

“We’re going to focus our attention on the parks that have the most crime,” Lyon said.

Lyon said the mounted patrol responded last year after the brutal July slaying of Katherine Janness and her dog in Piedmont Park.

“We were out here the next day. Piedmont Park is a regular patrol location for the mounted patrol. We’re here sometimes two or three times a week, depends on crime and what’s happening,” Lyon said. “We can cross all kind of terrain, and we can do it fast if need be. Anytime we’re on patrol, we are 10 feet tall. So we’re 10 foot tall police officers. We’re like lifeguards in a chair at a pool.”

Lyon said they also patrol the parking lots near or at the parks.

“When we hit the parking lots where people are parking, when they come to the park, we’re looking for suspicious activity. We’re looking for people pulling on door handles or looking in the windows to see if someone has left something in their vehicle that can be stolen,” Lyon said.

APD said city park incidents accounted for .009% of Atlanta’s crime in 2021. But the aim of this mounted patrol initiative is to make sure that percentage does not increase.

“I’d like to let people know they can count on us this spring and summer. We’ll be actively patrolling the city’s parks daily, and our biggest thing to them is, don’t be shy approaching us,” Lyon said.

Atlanta police told Winne that the Katherine Janness killing is still an open investigation.

Lyon says the mounted patrol often responds to crime trends by focusing on particular neighborhoods, but city parks, in light of their high visibility when major crime happens there, deserve some extra attention.

RELATED NEWS:

Woman killed in Piedmont Park was stabbed more than 50 times, M.E. says Katherine “Katie” Janness, 40, was stabbed to death along with her dog Bowie in the park early on the morning of July 28.

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