Mayor Girtz Speaks about Public Safety in Athens-Clarke County
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Mayor Kelly Girtz speaks at the University of Georgia Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication for a press conference about public safety. Girtz wraps up his press conference in preparation for one-on-one questions. (Photo/ Brelin Wakefield).
Mayor Kelly Girtz emphasized the importance of public safety for children in Athens-Clarke County during a press conference at the University of Georgia.
Girtz spoke about public safety at the press conference held on Sept. 23, 2022 in Athens, Georgia. He said that taking preventative measures to ensure children’s safety is a priority to him. He also said citizen’s housing situations can contribute to crime rates, so that is his priority to fix as well.
Girtz said there are two steps to the mission of solving public safety: “One is thinking about the challenge of this moment, but also preventing the crisis of tomorrow.”
He goes on to say that those who are living in healthier areas have a lesser chance of being involved with crime. Girtz said that a stable home and shelter are the first steps at a more successful future.
Girtz said, “There’s a great volume of research that demonstrates that if you live in a healthy neighborhood, where you’ve got access to park space, green space, and amenities, where your roof is not leaking and your toilets aren’t blowing up- you’re going to be living in a healthier neighborhood.”
In 2022 there have been 61 robberies, 332 aggravated assaults, 341 burglaries, and 239 motor vehicle thefts according to ACCPD Transparency Hub-Crime.
Girtz emphasizes that children who get involved with crime at young ages are introduced to it through life experiences and what surrounds them.
“The roots of crime don’t just sprout overnight; crimes don’t drop out of the sky like meteorites. They’re lived experiences in young people in this community that led them down dark paths,” Girtz said.
Girtz said that police officers also take part in helping to prevent crime in young ages, but there are not enough cops to take on the roles of all of the public safety issues in Athens-Clarke County because of the employment crisis. Mayor Girtz plans to implement better housing plans and bring the community together in helping to drop crime rates.
“We need to be thinking about public safety in a much broader frame than just thinking about sirens and badges,” said Girtz. He said that public safety is more than just police officers, and he hopes to continue to drop the crime rate through other resources as well.
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Why I Wrote This Story
I​ wrote this story about Mayor Girtz because the importance of safety is a priority to me and in my life. Not only is safety in general important, but the safety of children in our community is extremely important as well. Girtz spoke about his plans to continue to improve safety in the community. All in all, I felt that it was important to capture these moments of recognizing the problem and wanting to fix it.