Buckhead's Zone 2 leads the city with a 12 percent drop in crime so far this year, APD officials said this week.

Assistant Zone Commander Capt. Tim Ewing told the NPU-B that Zone 2 "leads all zones by a least 9 percent" in the decline in "Part 1" crimes, which include major offenses such as murder, rape, larceny and burglary.

Before the NPU meeting, Zone 2 Commander Maj. Robert Browning shook his head over the low number of crimes, joking that even a handful of future incidents could register as a big jump. Browning left before the meeting to talk to other Buckhead NPUs.

Ewing told NPU-B that the city has a 3 percent drop in crime overall. "We are 460 something crimes down for the year, which is a lot," Ewing said.

The zone's decline in crimes could be affected by another announcement from Ewing, who told the NPU "beat alignment is still in the works." Under the citywide beat alignment by Police Chief George Turner, Zone 2 will add beats in the Cheshire Bridge and Morningside areas, which has raised concerns about higher crime in Buckhead. Ewing said the beat realignment continues to wait on "15 officers we need" from the police academy.

With the drop in crime, problems persist: NPU member Bob Stasiowski asked night watch supervisor Lt. S.R. Purvis about reports of increased property damage and incidents involving rowdy bar patrons in the West Village area along East Andrews.

Purvis said that the problems are occurring right when his officers go off shift, but that he is aware of the situation and seeking to adjust resources in response.

He said that Browning, to follow up on a recent Buckhead Coalition meeting with tavern owners about noise and other complaints, is planning another such meeting. "We'll try to get more of a conversation going" and inform the tavern owners about their responsibilities under the law, Purvis said.