Annual report shows slight drop in repeat offenders in Atlanta

In an exclusive interview with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Channel 2 Action News, public safety officials said there is still work to be done despite the downward trend in numbers.

Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum said the roughly 1,000 people identified in the report as repeat offenders had an average of 30 arrests and six convictions for felonies. Repeat offenders are defined as those who have three or more felony convictions.

“These are individuals who have a disproportionate impact on the safety of our city’s 245 neighborhoods,” he said.

Atlanta Police Foundation President Dave Wilkinson said efforts to reduce repeat offenders can only succeed through collaboration among local municipalities.

“I’m not sure this work will ever get done – it’s a bit like fighting crime,” Wilkinson said.

Credits: [email protected]

Credits: [email protected]

Slip through the net

Prosecutors involved in the commission say repeat offenders are not always sentenced properly – they often face only a magistrate judge, whereas Fulton County’s court policy requires them to appear before a superior court judge.

According to the report, 30% of repeat offenders last year were not convicted by a higher court judge.

“We’re not talking about somebody making a mistake, we’re not talking about somebody having one or two encounters,” Fulton County Sheriff Patrick Labat said. “We’re very committed to going after these bad actors.”

Credits: [email protected]

Credits: [email protected]

Public safety officials have noted the difficulty of identifying repeat offenders as they move from arrest to court. Wilkinson said an expanded database of such repeat offenders would help arresting officers make the initial identification to alert the justice system.

“I think it comes down to technology,” he said.

Authorities also said Georgia’s probation and parole officers are often overworked, making it difficult to track individuals after they are released from prison.

Georgia consistently ranks among the states with the highest number of residents placed under probation. State law requires that people with three or more felony convictions be sentenced without the possibility of parole.

According to the repeat offender report, 45 percent of cases involved people who were on active probation or parole at the time of their arrest.

The problem also affects the morale of patrol officers who keep seeing the same faces, Schierbaum said.

“For anyone who wears this uniform and works in our neighborhoods, it’s very frustrating,” he said. “We want a court that is aware that the individuals we bring before it impact the perception and reality of safety in our city.”

Credits: [email protected]

Credits: [email protected]

Need more resources

U.S. Attorney Ryan Buchanan said initiatives, such as the commission, aimed at reducing the number of repeat offenders require more manpower.

“This effort shows that when people meet, talk freely and collaborate well, we get good results,” Buchanan said. “If we had more comprehensive prosecutors’ offices, agencies and police forces, that would be the best outcome.”

Credits: Arvin Temkar/AJC

Credits: Arvin Temkar/AJC

At the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office, a staff member reviews files to determine whether or not a person is a repeat offender.

“If the court doesn’t know the repeat offender, it’s not going to give them an appropriate sentence,” said Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis. “So a big part of the job of the district attorney’s office is making sure that defendants wear the scarlet letter that they deserve.”

Across agencies — from the U.S. attorney’s office to the Fulton County sheriff’s office — leaders said they lack crucial investments in funding and personnel that would help efforts to keep repeat offenders off city streets.

“The state is going to have to take seriously the need to ensure that the agencies that keep our people safe are well funded,” Willis said.

This means additional funding for the Georgia Bureau of Investigation for drug testing and for the Georgia Department of Community Supervision, which oversees probation and parole.

Credits: [email protected]

Credits: [email protected]

Law enforcement officials also acknowledge that some of the people on their repeat offender list suffer from mental health and substance abuse issues.

“I’m not one to lock them up and throw away the key,” Schierbaum said, adding that some cases are better resolved through diversion services.

“Often it’s about helping them in areas where society has failed them,” the police chief said, citing education, economic opportunity and a stable family life as the best deterrents to crime.

“But the individuals mentioned in this report need to be dealt with judiciously by the justice system,” he said.

Of all the crimes highlighted in the report, those most frequently charged with drug possession are those most frequently charged with drug possession.

While Willis said she agrees with the critical role that diversion services play in some cases, she believes some people are career criminals.

“We also have to understand that some people belong in prison,” she said. “And these are the repeat offenders who continue to commit crimes over and over again.”