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On Wednesday morning a ribbon-cutting ceremony was held for the first sign placed for the Safe Streets Zone initiative.

The initiative was started by LaGrange City Councilman Quay Boddie who had the idea of placing signs in areas around town with encouragement in the hopes that people will make better decisions.

The sign placed on Daniel Street near Dix Street reads, “There is HOPE for your life when you make the right choices! Try a different route! Think about your future! We believe in you!” signed the City of LaGrange.

This came from an idea of promoting hope. It came from an idea of promoting encouragement. As you all know, we have a lot of violence that takes place in the city, some that is very senseless,” Boddie said.

Boddie said he approached the mayor and fellow city councilmen, suggesting the signs as a way to do something about the violence.

“We can either sit back and do nothing, or we can step up and do something. So this is our step up as the City of LaGrange,” Boddie said. 

Boddie said the signs are signed by the City of LaGrange because the mayor and council believe in the city and want it to be better and safe everywhere.

Beyond encouraging words, the signs have a QR code that links to the Troup County Resources website that provides resources and information on getting help with clothing, utilities, housing and other issues people might be facing.

LaGrange Police Chief Garrett Fiveash was also very supportive of the initiative and a large contingent of officers were at the ribbon cutting as a show of support. The signs also have information on Tip 411, so if people have information on crime taking place they can provide anonymous tips to police.

The police department also plans to step up its presence and visibility in the Safe Street Zones to help with the effort.

Boddie said this is the first of many signs the city plans to place in different communities or crime ridden areas.

“We want our city to be a better place. This is a start by doing something as small as a sign and encouraging our citizens to be safe and make great choices,” Boddie said.