On Monday, February 16, Macon-Bibb County filed suit in Superior Court against the owners, agents, and corporations of Autumn Trace Apartments (1745 Rocky Creek Road) due to the amount of criminal activity, emergency calls, and other reports there. The County is bringing this action to permanently enjoin, restrain, and abate the public nuisance that has existed and continues to be maintained at this location. The complaint is being brought after the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office identified the apartments as an area of serious concern and asked the County in January for assistance.

“The number and severity of shootings here are extremely concerning, and immediate action must be taken,” says Mayor Lester Miller. “Our community has said loud and clear that public safety is its top priority, and we have made it clear we will not tolerate businesses not taking appropriate measures to protect people.”

According to the Sheriff’s Office, there has been substantial gang and drug activity regularly conducted there, including frequent shootings and violent crimes the last two years that have increased in frequency and severity in recent months. Additionally, since 2024, hundreds of emergency 911 calls have been placed from this location. The amount of serious criminal activity at this location has led the Sheriff’s Office to increase regular patrols on and around the property, meaning they and the State of Georgia devote substantial public resources, attention, patrols, time, and undercover operations there.

A summary of incidents – including murder, kidnapping, shots around and into apartments, gunfights, theft, home invasions, automotive break-ins, and more – is included in suit, which can be read by clicking here, and the Exhibit can be read by clicking here. The shots fired into homes have resulted in people – including children – being injured.

“We are investing millions to improve public safety – from salary increases to new equipment to mental health services to the Blight Fight and more – and we must make sure we are addressing it at all levels,” adds Mayor Miller.

Macon-Bibb County, through the Complaint, is providing a list of potential safety measures that could be used to reduce criminal activity and improve public safety. While every situation and location is slightly different, these are proven measures that have worked elsewhere, including:

• Installing a sufficient number of movable security cameras with sufficient resolution, audio capture, and coverage to allow BCSO to identify the participants to criminal activities when they occur;
• Providing sufficient lighting as to enable the security cameras to be functional and useful in nighttime or low-light conditions;
• Providing BCSO with live access to full-definition security camera footage;
• Providing access controls to the property, including perimeter fencing and gated access for motor vehicles to prohibit or inhibit access by persons who are not residents, staff, or guests;
• Installing speed bumps in the parking lot to limit the ability of criminals to get away quickly in the event of a theft or shooting incident;
• Strictly enforcing all lease terms relating to who is allowed to stay on the Property, including inspecting residents and quickly evicting any residents who allow unregistered or disallowed persons to stay in their apartments;
• Adopting a zero-tolerance policy and quickly evicting any tenants whose household residents or guests are seen engaging in shootings, drug crimes, or gang activities on the Property;
• Buying out leases for problem tenants who are not otherwise subject to eviction;
• Inspecting all units at random and no less than quarterly to identify unregistered occupants, illegal activity, or other lease violations, and evicting residents who fail to comply with lease terms;
• Hiring off-duty law enforcement officers or armed security guards licensed by the Georgia State Board of Private Detectives and Security Agencies to provide 24/7 security;
• Imposing a curfew on residents prohibiting the assembly of groups of residents outdoors on the property at night;
• Maintaining a registry of tenant-owned vehicles by license plate and investigating unregistered vehicles that remain at or frequent the Property;
• Maintaining a “do not rent” list to prohibit problem residents or guests from returning, even if there is a change in management personnel;
• Repairing and maintaining units damaged by criminal activity promptly;
• Providing meaningful opportunities for residents to inform management of dangerous or criminal activities to be addressed, and to otherwise raise concerns or complaints to management, and then addressing reasonable concerns or safety issues in a diligent manner; and
• Providing management with adequate funding and resources to operate Autumn Trace diligently and constantly.

Georgia law provides that “any nuisance which tends to the immediate annoyance of the public in general, is manifestly injurious to the public health or safety, or tends greatly to corrupt the manners and morals of the public may be abated by the order of a judge of the superior court of the county in which venue is proper.”   O.C.G.A. § 41-2-1.