County targets crime at extended stay hotels

Earlier this fall, the Gwinnett County Solicitor General’s Office notified multiple hotels in the Norcross area with concerns about the pervasiveness of crime at local extended stay hotels. “Our primary concern is for the families, many in transition and with children, seniors and persons with disabilities that are living in these facilities,” said Solicitor’s Office Investigator Curtis Clemons. The hotels were told to address crime and other ordinance issues or face nuisance violations and ultimately abatement proceedings.

According to information provided by the county, “Several hotel chains, including Extended Stay America near Gwinnett Place Mall and Country Inn and Suites on Jimmy Carter Boulevard, immediately contacted the Solicitor General’s Office and are now in compliance. Further investigation into hotels, specifically the Red Roof Inn and its other brands inside the cities of Norcross and Suwanee, were determined to have unacceptably high crime rates.”

Clemons hosted a meeting with Norcross and Suwanee police chiefs and Greg Stocker, security director for Red Roof Inn and Red Roof Corporate legal counsel Dec. 3 to discuss the safety of hotel residents and to draft a plan for accountability and crime reduction at Red Roof Inn establishments.

The Solicitor General’s Office plans to continue pursuing hotels and extended stay living facilities that fail to provide a safe environment for their guests or are not in compliance with county and municipal ordinances.