ATLANTA — Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum and Mayor Andre Dickens gathered Friday to celebrate a 23% decrease in crime in the city’s Zone four during 2025.
The reduction in southwest Atlanta represents the largest drop of any police zone in the city.
The drop in crime coincides with an expansion of the Atlanta Police Department and a significant decrease in citywide youth crime, which fell nearly 60% over the last four years.
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Officials delivered the update at a southwest Atlanta restaurant, noting that the historic zone includes neighborhoods such as Greenbriar, Cascade and the West End.
Schierbaum credited the residents of southwest Atlanta for their role in the reduction.
According to police data, specific categories of crime saw double-digit declines within the zone.
Burglaries fell 16%, while car thefts decreased by 38%.
The most significant drop occurred in car break-ins, which went down 41%.
“There’s one thing I will always say about zone four, you are the community that when you see something, you say something ,and you expect your Police Department to go do something,” Schierbaum said.
The chief also attributed the success to increased resources and staffing within the department. He noted that the city now has more officers on the street than it did in 2022 and has increased the number of patrol cars available for community presence.
“The mayor made public safety a priority. He grew back the police department. We have more officers on the street now than we had in 2022. We have a growing number of patrol cars to be able to be in the community,” Schierbaum said.
Dickens emphasized that these statistical improvements have a direct impact on the safety of residents.
“We had one of the highest drops in crime in any city in the nation over the last four years,” Dickens said. “So these are statistics that matter because lives are on the other side.”
Police officials also noted that community members helped reduce auto-related crimes by keeping valuables out of sight. By keeping car interiors clear of items in the front and back seats, residents made it more difficult for thieves to obtain stolen property and firearms.
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