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PENS Bulletin
MONTHLY EDITION September 2013
Welcome to the September edition of THE PENS DISPATCH. This bulletin is brought to you from the Precinct I Criminal Investigations Unit and is designed to keep you aware of crime trends in your area and tips on measures you can take to keep you and your family safe.
Entering Auto Awareness and Prevention
The foundation of PENS was cemented with the need to inform the public to keep your vehicle doors locked and remove valuables from within to prevent Entering Autos or Car-Break Ins. The offenders call it "flipping" or "car hopping" where they will simply flip the door handles and check for unlocked vehicles. They take valuables from within to include purses, wallets, credit cards, cash, electronics, and handguns. There is an obvious danger with a handgun being provided to a young offender who may likely be addicted to drugs.
The offenders will take it further and venture into open garage doors to enter unlocked vehicles. In some cases, they enter into the residence and commit burglaries.
Entering Autos occur primarily over night in residential areas. During the day they occur at the parks, subdivision pool, tennis courts, daycare facilities while dropping off your children, and the most popular location -fitness clubs.
Luckily, prevention is simple. Lock your vehicle doors and take your valuables with you. If you leave valuables out of site in a trunk, place them there before you reach your destination. At home, it is ideal to park in your car in your garage with the garage door closed.
When feasible, if a trend is identified where a number of incidents occur within an identified area, we will send out a PENS alert to that respective subdivision. This is also something that can be shared within your subdivision through the subdivision email group. This will heighten awareness and provide possible witnesses to the crime. A neighbor recently saw a suspect walking in the street and had no idea that that suspect had committed a crime in their subdivision. The victim, and or witness, can notify the precinct duty officer or assigned Detective of the potential lead to solving this crime.
The prevention of Entering Autos is simple, but the awareness needs to be shared. Prevention and or the arrest of the offenders will stop a crime that provides the financial revenue aiding the "bad guy" to purchase more drugs and or commit additional crimes.
CRIME TRENDS
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Entering Autos: Entering autos and thefts continue to be prevalent in the business areas along Barrett Parkway and Town Center Mall and Chastain Rd. Most targeted areas include shopping complexes and restaurants along Barrett Parkway, Town Center Mall area and apartment complexes along George Busbee Parkway. Overnight entering autos in residential neighborhoods indicated a decrease in thefts.
Daytime residential burglaries showed an increase for the month of August 2013. Business burglaries showed a decrease in August 2013.
Theft by taking crimes showed an increase in August 2013.
Entering autos cases showed a decrease in August 2013.
WHAT YOU, YOUR FAMILY, AND YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD CAN DO
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"Target Hardening" is a term that you can search the internet and obtain many tips on. It is a law enforcement term used to describe making a location more difficult to break into or less attractive of a target. We see this done well after a Burglary occurs. I would encourage you to look into target hardening before a Burglary occurs. This is similar to fixing up your house to sell it. Why not fix up your house while you own it and enjoy the improvement yourself?
Here are some Target Hardening tips:
•Lock doors and windows.
•Set the alarm every time you leave.
•Post alarm signs and stickers.
•Keep garage doors closed and locked.
•Do not advertise on Social Media sites when you are away!
•Use outdoor lighting on a timer.
•Limit potential losses by using a safety deposit box.
•If someone knocks on your door DO NOT IGNORE THEM, yell through the door that you are not interested and that they need to leave. Next call 911 and provide a description, ignoring them may result with your door getting kicked in!
Featured arrests
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Serial armed robbery arrest: Uniformed officers were advised of a serial armed robbery suspect that was working the Town Center Mall and Chastain Meadows Wal-Mart, via BOLO and squad meeting update. When confronted by Loss Prevention officer the suspect would threaten the officers with a 10 inch butcher knife. The suspect would then flee the area in a stolen Crown Victoria. Evening Shift officer were responding to an unrelated incident at Town Center Mall when the suspect vehicle was spotted and the suspect was arrested inside of Macy's where he was in the process of committing another crime. The suspect was linked back to armed robbery cases in 2008 during which the same M.O. was used.
The uniformed officers and detectives at PCT I made over 200 arrest cases last month for a variety of charges, including DUI and other alcohol related charges, thefts, drugs, wanted persons located, and numerous driving offenses. All of these arrests go a long way toward keeping North Cobb a safe place to work and live.
This concludes the September PENS Bulletin. Please continue to stay involved, stay vigilant, and help look out for your neighbors!
LINKS TO HELPFUL RESOURCES
Cobb County PD on Facebook
Cobb County Fire and EMS
Cobb County Board of Education
Cobb County Animal Control
Cobb County Community Development/Code Enforcement
County Ordinance Violation pamphlet (revised April 2012)
Neighborhood Safety Commission Safety Commission
GA Department of Driver's Services (new documentation requirements)
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