Atlanta Launches Repeat Offender Tracking Unit

Atlanta law enforcement officials, including the mayor, police chief, the Fulton County sheriff, the district attorney, and the county’s chief judge, have announced the creation of the Repeat Offender Tracking Unit — combining local, county, and federal law enforcement agency’s resources and information to identify the city’s most egregious offenders and track their cases through the court system, reports the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Each week, 30 percent of arrests made by the Atlanta Police Department are of men and women who have already been convicted of at least three felonies.

The unit, which is starting out with just a handful of employees and is financed by a combination of public and private sector funding, will share information between police, prosecutors and judges who can choose to keep certain offenders behind bars longer as they await trial. It is initially set to include just two Atlanta police officers, two sheriff’s deputies, an employee from the Fulton DA’s Office, and administrative staff members funded by the Atlanta Police Foundation. Sheriff Patrick Labat told reporters he expects jail numbers will rise as law enforcement starts “going after those who mean us no good.” District Attorney Fani Willis said those deemed career criminals would be given a “scarlet letter” so anyone handling their cases knows exactly who they’re dealing with.