DeKalb County CEO cites DOJ consent decree, unveils real‑time crime center and sports commission

The DeKalb County chief executive onstage described a turbulent start to the administration and announced new public‑safety and partnership initiatives, including the county's first real‑time crime center.

"On my very first day in office, the mission wasn't theoretical," the county CEO said, adding that "we were called to court by the U.S. Department of Justice regarding the federal consent decree tied to our water and sewer within my first 72 hours." The official also said a major water‑main break "shut down our schools, our cities, as well as our businesses," and that two storms brought the county to a standstill.

The remarks stressed fiscal caution and continuity of services: "We are not eliminating services and we are not laying off employees," the CEO said, framing the new initiatives as steps to be "responsible stewards of taxpayer dollars." The administration emphasized collaboration across departments and pledged to provide additional resources for law enforcement.

As part of the day's announcements, the CEO said the county was "officially launching DeKalb County's first real time crime center," describing the center as a move toward a more proactive, coordinated and data‑driven public‑safety model. The speech also announced the launch of the DeKalb United Sports Commission, a partnership the speaker described as bringing together public, private and community partners in collaboration with Discover DeKalb.

Community members also spoke during the event. A resident who identified herself as having recently moved from a hotel into permanent housing said, "It's a relief because in the hotel, I had to sleep with 3 kids, 1 bathroom," describing improved living conditions for her family. The CEO paid tribute to "master firefighter, Creston Fant," honoring his life and sacrifice.

Speakers promoting the new center said its tools should help keep both the public and officers safer, speed investigations and in some cases prevent crime. The administration did not provide detailed funding sources or an operational timeline for the crime center in these remarks; those details were not specified.

The event combined policy announcements, community outreach and ceremonial remarks; officials described further departmental assessments and indicated that future briefings will address specific implementation details.