MACON, Ga. — Macon-Bibb County officials have a new way to patrol in style - and they're revving up efforts to keep the areas around downtown safe.
Today, county officials gathered at Carolyn Crayton Park for a press conference to showcase their new way to patrol the area.
The county just bought six new ATVs to boost security and response downtown.
The new ATVs allow officers to get to areas that are hard to reach, especially downtown, Carolyn Crayton Park, and along the Ocmulgee River Trail.
They say it will make Public Safety Officers more visible and available for the people of Macon-Bibb County.
Mayor Lester Miller was at the press conference and spoke about its importance and timeliness.
"We always say in Macon-Bibb County go big or go home and I think today we met that criteria," Miller said. "We call these our 'Mac Daddy ATVs' and they're to help patrol our trails, downtown streets, and even large festivals. You get the feeling of being safe when you have people around. You can see them if there's an issue that comes up. Maybe there's somebody missing or somebody with a health condition, you've got somebody that you can see visibly coming by."
The purchase of the new ATVs came from a $200,000 grant from the Peyton Anderson Foundation.
Officers can also use these ATVs to reach large crowds on and off the road, and hope it will give aid, protection, and discourage negative behavior.
Stacey Moore is the president and CEO of the Cherry Blossom Festival, and says this will provide a new level of safety.
"Cherry Blossom guests love to see our law enforcement present," Moore said. "They feel safe when they see them, and this just gives another level of that. Another level of visibility, another level of protection, they can get into the event faster and easier. We have art galleries, we have restaurants, we have bars, we have things that people come down and enjoy. We have alleyways that these can now go through and get to them faster if they need help, and so this is another level of presence and protection for even just coming downtown to enjoy what everything Macon-Bibb has to offer."
Bentley Moore has been cooking it up at Famous Mikes of Macon on Poplar Street for the past five months.
"I love the atmosphere," Moore said. "I love the downtown area, and its really exciting to work down here."
Moore was surprised at the news, and says it sounds like a good idea especially for the customers and neighboring businesses.
He says there have been a few issues where response times weren't the best due to accessibility, so he hopes this can help some of those problems.
"A lot of it's dealing with the homeless and the drug users down here," Moore said. "I come to work between 5 and 6 a.m. and it can be scary coming here in the broad dark. I'd be a little more at ease knowing I'm coming to work and I know that I can not only see but I can hear them at a distance patrolling, making sure we're safe here. It'll also show that the police are out here and active."
Macon-Bibb County plans to add another eight ATVs later on.