On Wednesday, January 14 the Gwinnett Village Community Improvement District
(GVCID), the largest CID in the state of Georgia, released annual crime statistics showing the lowest levels of targeted crimes since the CID’s formation in 2006.
Statistics from 2014, provided by the Gwinnett County Police Department, continued a trend of declines in total robbery, commercial burglary and motor vehicle thefts by 37 percent, 14 percent and 46 percent respectively when compared to 2013.
” These stats are the lowest crime numbers this area has ever seen. The fact that we continue to make positive strides year after year is an indication that our crime prevention initiatives are paying dividends,” said Chuck Warbington, executive director for the Gwinnett Village CID. “The real reason for this level of success is the strength of the partnerships we’ve formed with the Gwinnett County and Norcross Police Departments. I can’t give them enough credit for the work they do on a daily basis to make this a safer community for local residents and business owners.”
In April 2007, the GVCID board of directors voted unanimously to initiate a Targeted Enforcement Zone (TEZ) program to provide additional security coverage for commercial properties in the district. The program is a multi-pronged approach that includes consistent graffiti and litter removal, code violation sweeps, private security patrols, and additional Norcross police patrols- all funded by the CID. The patrols focus on suspicious activity, vehicles and persons in commercial areas of southwest Gwinnett County.
“We’ve made significant investments in enhanced security in the City of Norcross,” said Mayor Bucky Johnson. “From personnel and cameras to predictive software, we are ensuring that our police department has every tool at its disposal to enhance the safety of Norcross and the Gwinnett Village area.”
The CID is also in constant coordination with the Gwinnett County Police Department through the Westside Police Precinct. If a trend is identified in a certain part of the district, the police notify the CID, and vice-versa, so resources can be focused on the areas that need them most.
“The tireless work performed by our officers is evident in these results,” said District 2 County Commissioner Lynette Howard. “These statistics are a real success story of what can happen when jurisdictions, at different levels, work together to make a significant, positive impact on the community.”
Since the inception of the TEZ program, the targeted crimes have seen significant reductions every year. From 2007 through 2014, total robberies have gone down by 65 percent, total commercial burglaries have seen a drop of 55 percent and motor vehicle thefts have declined by 71 percent. That makes for a decrease in total targeted crimes of 66% for that time period.
“This community is safer and consequently more attractive for new business and investmentthan it has ever been,” said Warbington. “These results only serve to encourage us to try to sustain this positive trend for our community.”
