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Police begin very public 'Blue Light Blitz' in response to DeKalb murders, violence

Dozens of police officers flooded 'hot spots' in Dekalb County where crime has spiked this summer.

DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — Violent crime has spiked in Dekalb County - with almost 30 murders so far in 2019 - and people who live there are sick of it.

Police are sick of it too; so, now they're doing something about it. It's called a "Blue Light Blitz."

Every police officer from every precinct flooded the area on Wednesday.

"It's very frustrating. And it's completely disheartening to hear gunfire in your home all the time, and feel unsafe," said Maria Rossoto. 

RELATED: Man shot and killed on sidewalk east of downtown Atlanta

She said she feels like she's always looking over her shoulder. 

"When you're on your way home and you're like, 'What am I going to find? Has someone broken into my house?'," she asked.

Her house has already been robbed twice, and she said everyone she knows has been a victim of crime. 

RELATED: Police: Male shot, critically wounded in the East Lake area

For the police officers in Dekalb County, that's unacceptable. 

"We are doing our best. We are using some solutions that we haven't used in the past," said Major Nicole Rutland. 

She organized a public roll call on Memorial Drive Wednesday so people who live there could see the police out in full force. 

"A lot of times, people say, 'I never see a police officer drive through my neighborhood.' Well, guess what? You're going to have 50-60 cops here today," she said. 

She said community policing helps remind people that the officers who patrol their streets often live on them too. 

RELATED: A closer look at crime numbers in DeKalb

"The big thing about police officers is that people see us as just police officers," she said. "We are human beings, just like everybody else." 

The police invited everyone out to see Wednesday's roll call - people who live there, local churches, and elected officials included.

"I tell people all the time, we cannot solve it by police alone. This is a community effort," Commissioner Larry Johnson said. "Neighborhood watch has to be on alert. The PTA, your Girl Scout, Boy Scout troop - everyone has to be in this together." 

RELATED: 2 dead in DeKalb County shooting near Stone Mountain

Johnson thinks this effort is leading them in the right direction. Rossoto said she hopes he's right. 

"They're syndromes, they're like crime syndromes in these hot spots, and we know it's not easily solved," she said. "And the police are doing the best they can."  

This is just the first of many of these community roll calls they're planning to have. Dekalb Police say they'll keep doing it until the crime numbers go down. 

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