State of emergency declared in Georgia

After a large group vandalized the headquarters of the Georgia Department of Public Safety in Atlanta on Sunday, breaking windows and attempting to start a fire, Gov. Brian Kemp is deploying the Georgia National Guard to protect government buildings. In response to a rise in violent crime, including shootings that left five dead and 25 wounded in the city over the weekend, including an 8-year-old girl, Kemp, a Republican, on Monday declared a weeklong state of emergency.

What does the declaration do? The governor could send up to 1,000 National Guard troops to Georgia’s capital, freeing up law enforcement officers to increase patrols in other parts of the city. Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, who announced on Monday she tested positive for COVID-19, said she doesn’t agree with the decision to call in the troops.

Dig deeper: Read Emily Belz’s report about police reform in Camden, N.J.