Monday, May 20, 2025–10:30 a.m.

-David Crowder, WRGA News-

Although the Rome Police Department headquarters has moved from the joint law enforcement center to a temporary location off Technology Parkway, there is still a law enforcement presence downtown.

According to Rome Police Department Major Rusty Blair, a downtown precinct is now open at the Forum.

“It’s not manned all the time,” he said. “If you go down Fourth Avenue, there is a set of stairs on the right side of The Forum, if you are looking toward the river. It’s an old ticket booth, and we have it set up. Officers who are working security at The Forum can use it. We have a computer where officers can go and type up search warrants and arrest warrants, and then take them to the courthouse next door. There is a call box there at the front of the building. If you need someone, you can push the button to call 911 if no one is there.”

With the end of the school year coming up, Blair reminds the public that the city does have a curfew in place for minors.

“The curfew was enacted a couple of years ago,” Blair said. “It basically says that if you are under the age of 17, you cannot be unsupervised downtown. Somebody who is 21 years of age or older has to be with you, and you cannot be out between the hours of 11 p.m. and 5 a.m.”

He adds there are exceptions.

“For instance, if a juvenile is the only one who lives in the home and the mother is sick and they need to run and get some medicine or something like that,” Blair said. “There are exceptions in place for that, but the way this works is, the first time we have to take an enforcement action, the parents are given a warning. After that, the citation runs through municipal court if they are cited again.”

The Rome Downtown Development Authority contracts several Rome Police officers to patrol downtown in Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights.

Blair was a guest on Tuesday’s First News with Doug Walker on WRGA.