Below are minutes for the Februrary 11, 2003, meeting of the Atlanta Downtown Neighborhood Association. Notes were written by ADNA Secretary Wendy Darling.

Introduction

Welcome & Introductions

ADNA President Dorthey Hurst welcomed the gathering and had everyone in the room introduce themselves. There were around 45 people in attendance, including not only residents but representatives from the law enforcement community, local government, state government, Central Atlanta Progress, and a few folks from the business community.

Committee Reports

ADNA has a number of committees and a number of them made reports to members:

• Festival Committee
  Jennifer Henderson and Maria Balais got everyone excited about the Downtown Neighborhood Festival. Maria gave background and an overview, while Jennifer caught people up on the volunteer, sponsorships, what we can look forward to, etc. For more information and/or applications related to the festival, see the festival web site.
• Welcome Committee
  Welcome committee is coming up with its final push to put together packets, which they are now costing as far as printing and distribution to residents. For more information, contact committee head Patti Clark, Kimchee110@msn.com.
• Treasury Committee
  ADNA Treasurer John Mount was not able to make the meeting and will deliver his report at next month's meeting.
• Planning/Land Use/Zoning Committee
  Caleb Racicot heads this committee and is looking for interested partners. To contact, Caleb, cracicot@hotmail.com.

President's Report

ADNA President Dorthey Hurst gave a run-down of some of the meetings and events she was involved in since the last meeting.

• NPU-M, our Neighborhood Planning Unit meeting.
• Town Hall Meeting by Central Atlanta Progress / Atlanta Downtown Improvement District, where she first met Maj. Tolleson (see below).
• Homeless Advisory Council continues work and is taking in all the input of Downtown residents, which she passed on and has been incorporated into a document. Noted meet scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 13th, 7-10 p.m. at the Loundermilk Center for Community, 40 Courtland Street. More info: Teri Smith (United Way), 404-527-7222 or www.unitedwayatlanta.org.
• Livable Centers Initiative (LCI) meeting on revision of Downtown zoning. Pointed to Caleb Racicot, head our ADNA's zoning committee, as someone who has been heavily involved in the whole LCI initiative.
• Submitted proposals to Hospitality Helping Hands, a group that wants to commit 500 volunteers from the hospitality industry towards doing a major volunteer project this coming May. Dorthey submitted several proposal for projects, which they are considering.

Presentation & Questions

Focus of the meeting was on public safety and law enforcement, particularly on the changes being made to the way the ADID Ambassadors and Atlanta Police Department works Downtown.

Lavoyed introduced himself as the man who has been in charge of the ADID Ambassador Force for the past six months. He spoke of how he's turned the force inside out since coming on, really looking at ways to significantly improve the effectiveness of his officers in improving Downtown.

A summary list of a few of the changes he outlined to the group:

• The 200-block area the Ambassadors work in (some time back it was expanded to go up to North Avenue) has been divided into two main areas, "north" and "south," with what amounts to two teams of Ambassadors, so officers in one group mainly work South, others North.
• Officers are assigned to particular neighborhood beats instead of being rotated among all areas equally. Each officer has two neighborhood beats they rotate betwee. They become a "familiar face" in these areas.
• Ambassadors now work 10-hr. shifts, giving Downtown better coverage.
• Officers are being incentitive to improve; if they take classes at GSU (with whom they've partnered) and go in for degrees in Hospitality, they can get pay increases.
• Partnership with GSU has set up "secret shopper" program where officers are tested once a month.
• Review of hiring requirements is making it harder for people to make it into the force; before it was "too easy."
• 2 officers are going to be specifically assigned as "Public Works Ambassadors" whose job duties focus on identifying, reporting and following up on public works issues they see in our Downtown streets. The officers should come online in 4 weeks. If you see a public works violation, you can ask for one of these Ambassadors at (404) 215-6900.
• He says "stars are in allignment" for great improvements to be made: great mayor, great police chief and our new Zone 5 Commander Maj. Darryl Tolleson.

The new Zone 5 commander gave a very, very well received and dynamic presentation on his work in the zone -- what he has done so far and what he intends to do.

A summary list of everything he told the group:

• Quality of Life Task Force will soon bring together Central Atlanta Progress and all other Downtown law enforcement and safety forces (GSU, Georgia Tech, federal, MARTA, etc.) to focus on quality of life issues in a new way. One of the points of the group is to stress that forces have to work together because something like homelessness is "not just the APD's problem to fix" but "everyone's problem."
• Aiming for "HEAVY ENFORCEMENT of bad behavior." APD will not target specific groups but it will go after individuals who are exhibiting bad/illegal behavior, i.e. public urination, aggressive panhandling.
• Officers are being urged to be proactive, catching people who are looking suspicious before they go and commit crimes. Will not violate their rights but will ask questions and have eyes and ears open.
• Foot patrols are working all over Zone 5 in day and evening shifts. They are the eyes and ears to watch out. Hopefully soon the foot patrols can expand hours/staff to be active until later at night.
• "Courtwatch" program is promoting idea of getting strong support for police sweeps, so if APD busts 10 panhandlers, they can get neighbors or other concerned parties to pack the courtroom and see them dealt with. Program also brings in 2 solicitors and has involvement of Atlanta Community Court Judge Joseph Riley.
• Crime data for past three weeks, since start of foot patrols, shows 30-40 percent decline in car break ins ("larceny from vehicles"). There were 61 in the past week; for the same week last year there were 111.
• He's arranging a meeting with Downtown parking operators (Parking Company of America, AAA, Lanier, etc.) to talk with them about improving the safety of their areas. Companies are taking a lot of money from people but not providing proper security, lighting, locks, etc.
• Advice on reporting crime: To report a crime, even a minor one, call 911. If no one is dispatched, the call will be added to crime stats nonetheless. If there is a problem with either continual failure to dispatch officers or if officers are balking at enforcing the law, ask for a supervisor.
• Heads up on Hip Hop Summit / Woodstock coming to Turner Field area April 11-13 and expected to draw a huge Freaknik-like crowd similar to the one this past weekend only totally focused on Hip Hop. Apologizing for mess this past weekend, pledges that APD and other agencies will be much better prepared and will also keep residents in touch with street closings and issue passes. When those details are set, they will passed along to ADNA.
• To get in touch with Maj. Tolleson, email dtolleson@atlantapd.org -- all messages are read and distributed to people to act on them.

Discussion

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ADJOURNMENT