DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — The DeKalb County District Attorney said a proposal to be voted on next week may be the biggest investment the county has ever made in her office’s ability to cut violent crime.
District Attorney Sherry Boston told Channel 2 investigative reporter Mark Winne she will double the size of the teams fighting murders, gangs, sexual assaults and domestic violence if the measure is passed.
“We’re going to be bulging at the seams thanks to the support of our CEO Michael Thurmond,” Boston said. “We know that violent crime is the number-one issue in DeKalb County and we are aggressively responding in that regard. We’re going to be doubling the size of our homicide and gang unit.”
Boston said evidence photos from a recent gang murder conviction help tell the bullet-riddled story of the violence that has surged in her county and elsewhere.
“The numbers were staggering,” she said.
But she plans to get more convictions faster with a dramatic increase in resources.
“We are going to get five new attorneys assigned to homicide and gangs, five investigators dedicated to just homicide and gangs, and victim advocates to work more closely with our victims’ families.”
“Will adding people to your homicide gang unit cut the murder rate?” Winne asked Boston.
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“Well, what it will do we think is give us an opportunity to seek convictions and get people off the streets sooner and faster, in hopes that we can bring violent crime down by putting away offenders that we believe are dangerous,” Boston said.
The proposal to be voted on by the commission on Tuesday addresses other critical needs, including many positions.
“Dedicated to domestic violence and sexual assault,” Boston said.
Thurmond said he is proposing an increase in the DA’s budget of nearly $4 million, part of roughly $14 million extra for public safety overall.
“We expect a unanimous vote for these critical investments in the DA’s office and our entire public safety system,” Thurmond said.
Boston said gangs are a big driver of DeKalb County violence, but not the only one.
“We’re seeing a lot of violence that is just coming from, honestly, a lack of conflict resolution. People want to end almost every dispute with a gun,” she said.
Boston also said more resources are needed across the state to divert young children from the lure of gangs that are filling the holes in their lives often left by shortcomings at home.
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