Atlanta police say most of the crime in the city is being committed by repeat offenders

ATLANTA — Atlanta police said in a news conference Wednesday that most of the crime being committed in the city is by repeat offenders.

Channel 2′s Dave Huddleston learned about a new unit that’s being created to track down the bad guys.

[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]

Police said that during the first week of March, 20 repeat offenders were arrested, but those 20 have been arrested a combined 552 times and had 114 felony convictions.

Atlanta Deputy Chief Darin Schierbaum said that criminals who meet the definition of repeat offenders have three or more felony convictions.

TRENDING STORIES:

• Freddie Freeman to Braves fans: ‘Thank you from the bottom of my heart’
• Former UGA football player arrested in murder of 23-year-old RaceTrac clerk in Oconee County
• BA.2 version of COVID-19 virus beginning to spread in US; more contagious than omicron

Schierbaum pointed out the case of Curtis Hall, who has been arrested 20 times. Hall was arrested again March 4 after police said he beat a woman a shot a person who was trying to help her.

Schierbaum said that if Hall had still been in custody, he wouldn’t have been able to injure two people.

The Atlanta Police Foundation and the District Attorney Fani Willis are working together now to track the offenders and make sure judges don’t release them too soon.

[SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]

“We believe the ability for the district attorney to focus her prosecution on the right individuals will start paying dividends for a safer Atlanta,” Schierbaum said.

The special repeat offenders unit will be up and running in April.

Man arrested for 5th DUI with 35 empty cans and bottles in car (NCD)

©2022 Cox Media Group