Atlanta police focus on Old Fourth Ward

Residents in Atlanta's Old Fourth Ward are excited about new plans to fight crime along the Boulevard corridor.

John Moss and his wife bought their Irwin Street home in 2010.

"We were excited to see there's actually been a focus on this area, because it's been neglected for so long," Moss told Channel 2's Amy Napier Viteri.

Moss said they have watched drug traffic pass by their home like clockwork up the two blocks to Boulevard.

"It was almost like it was the wild wild west. They just kind of would look the other way and would push it away as long as it wasn't like that much downtown", he added.

In the upcoming weeks, Atlanta police will open a mini precinct in Atlanta Medical Center on Boulevard.

Wingate Management, which runs the Bedford Pines Apartments, has donated space for a booking and processing station on the property.

Atlanta police spokesman Carlos Campos said the area is a big conce because of drugs and armed robberies.

"We're not going to tolerate street-level drug sales and we're certainly not going to tolerate people sticking guns in people's faces," Campos told Viteri.

District 2 Councilman Kwanza Hall said in spite of major developments in the neighborhood, the stretch of road has not progressed with it.

"There's a white elephant in the room, and that's the problems that we're faced with in Bedford Pines and Boulevard," Hall said.

Moss is pleased with the police presence he has already noticed. He expects people committing crimes will notice also.

"It couldn't come at a better time. We've seen it already in the first week," Moss said.

Police expect the mini precinct and booking station to open within the next couple months.