'The BeltLine Will be Secure'

OLD FOURTH WARD — Pledging a renewed focus to combating crime, Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed officially welcomed the Atlanta BeltLine police unit Friday.

The 15-person unit, funded by a three-year, $1.8 million federal COPS grant, is tasked with patrolling the 22 miles of BeltLine that winds around the city,as well as adjacent parks.

The mayor, flanked by the unit and and other City Hall leaders and Police Chief George N. Turner, said the BeltLine is an important component and draw for economic development, such as the Ponce City Market in and residential construction in Old Fourth Ward.

Speaking at a news conference in Historic Fourth Ward Skate Park, the mayor noted that despite a series of violent crimes all over the city that have heightened safety concerns, crime is down some 18 percent this year.

Even so, he acknowledged that crime is a concern and that the city is focused on addressing it everywhere.

"Wherever violent crimes occur, we will respond," he said.

He stressed the focus on the BeltLine, which had been a huge magnet for Atlantans and tourists alike, will not be at the expense of police resources elsewhere.

"Whenever someone is a victim of crime, we care about it," Reed said. "We're being responsible, we're listening."

Part of that citywide strategy, he said, is continued expansion of technology such as surveillance cameras as is found in Downtown, Old Fourth Ward and Midtown.

"We're going to send officers where people are having problems and protect the BeltLine," Reed said.

For its part, the BeltLine police force, which became operational earlier this summer, has already made 60 arrests, Turner, the police chief, said.

In addition to the officers themselves, the city and Atlanta. BeltLine Inc. the entity that's putting the necklace of greenspace together, have speed up the timetable on supplemental measures, such as adding lighting on bridges, cameras on the paths and new signage and trail markers.