Security at Fulton County’s public libraries is getting a big boost.
County commissioners voted April 12 to amend a contract, adding $800,000 for more security guards at libraries.
“I think the biggest thing we’re trying to do is stay ahead of any problems at the library,” said Fulton County Police Chief Wade Yates. “Basically we have seen a rise in incidents at some of the libraries, and so before it turns into a problem we just wanted to get some guards in there.”
The county police department, separate from the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office, patrols the unincorporated parts of the county. The department has security oversight of county operations, including elections and county-occupied buildings.
The Fulton County Library system has 34 locations. Assignment of guards will depend on incidents in each library, crime in the general area, and police response times, Yates said.
Library personnel have seen “all kinds” of trouble, he said: car break-ins, theft of library materials, people with mental health issues.
“If it can happen anywhere else, it can happen in a library,” Yates said. Most issues are property crimes, but some are people “being difficult,” he said. The county has a responsibility to keep libraries safe for all patrons, especially children, Yates said.
The county has a contract with Allied Security Services of Atlanta for armed and unarmed guards at county-owned facilities.
The initial contract in 2020 was for $2.3 million, and was renewed in 2021 for $4.5 million — plus $1 million or more added during each year by amendment, according to the commission agenda item.
Security costs have gone up dramatically over the last three years, Yates said. Part of that was due to a change in guard companies: Allied costs more than the previous vendor, but provides better service, he said.
The latest amendment brings the current annual contract to $6.1 million, according to the agenda item.
Yates wouldn’t discuss specific deployments, but said the increase will provide “probably half of the libraries with guard service” during business hours. Security guards have been stationed at libraries before and moved around as needed, he said. And some have had a guard presence for a long time.
“If you go to the central library, for instance, there’s multiple guards there,” Yates said. That’s a multi-story building in downtown Atlanta, but other library branches such as Mechanicsville are very small and can easily be monitored by one person, he said.
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