August 11, 2016

VaHi Safety Team Report Weeks 28 and 29 (7/3/16 – 7/16/16)

News and Notes

A Thank You Message from Major Peek


Major Timothy D. Peek
2025 Hosea L. Williams Drive SE
Atlanta, GA 30317
Friday, August 05, 2016

Dear Zone Six Communities:

In recent times, our nation has experienced some very trying times as it relates to the relationships between law enforcement agencies and the communities for which they serve.  Communities throughout the country voiced their concerns through many different avenues which included protests and demonstrations.  The City of Atlanta was not exempt from these experiences.  Although stressful, the officers of the Atlanta Police Department rose to the occasion and served all of our citizens with dignity and respect.  We took an oath to serve our citizens and we look forward to our continued and   committed service.

During these stressful times, you (our citizens and business partners) supported our officers in many ways.  In expressions of your support, we thank you for all of the gifts that you shared with us.  We thank you for the gratitude shown through gifts of food, snacks, drinks, flowers, handshakes and hugs (just to name a few).  These gestures certainly brightened our day and filled our hearts with joy.  It is truly our pleasure to serve such fine citizens. Again, we look forward to our continued service to the communities.

Sincerely,

Major Timothy D. Peek
on Behalf of Atlanta Police Department Zone Six Officers

Graffiti Task Force


Several years ago a dedicated resident by the name of Laura Voisinet agreed to serve as our Graffiti Czar. She organized a group of like-minded people to help and in short order the graffiti problem that had been growing in Virginia-Highland was under control.

Fast forward to today. Laura and her team have moved on to other commitments. However, recently we have seen a few spots being hit regularly with tags. The corner of Ponce de Leon and Ponce Place – especially the old Marco’s Pita building – and the alley running behind the shops on N. Highland are a few locations where new graffiti has popped up.

Though this is not nearly the problem that it was at one time, it would be good to have someone who could take charge when new tags appear. The job is not particularly onerous (mostly offering supplies and advise to property owners), but is a way to contribute to the appearance of the neighborhood. If you have any interest in taking on this responsibility, please send an email to me at VaHiSafety@gmail.com and we can discuss further.

Citizen’s Review Board


The Atlanta Citizen Review Board (ACRB) was established by ordinance as an independent agency in 2007, and amended with subpoena power in May of 2010. The purpose of the legislation is to ensure that city departments directly responsible for public safety, particularly the Police Department and the Department of Corrections, have the proper support of the government and its various agencies. It is designed to provide citizen oversight of misconduct accusations against sworn member of the police and corrections departments of the City of Atlanta (from website).

The ACRB meetings are open to the public and generally held on the second Thursday of each month in Committee Room One, Second Floor of Atlanta City Hall. However, the September 8th meeting will be held at 6:30 pm at the Blackburn Conference Center on the campus of Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School. Those who attend may observe the process of investigating cases of misconduct by sworn officers of the Atlanta Police Department and Department of Corrections. You are cordially invited to attend this and future meetings.

More information is available at www.acrbgov.org.

Reminder – Register Your Home Alarm System


In 2012 the City of Atlanta determined that 92% of alarm responses were false alarms. Every time Atlanta Police Department or Atlanta Fire Rescue is dispatched, they are taken away from real emergencies at a steep cost to the city and we the taxpayers. As a result, in 2013 a program was instituted requiring residential and business owners of alarm systems to register with the city. Failure to register an alarm system will result in a fine of $150. In addition, the first false alarm after registration is free, but thereafter the fines mount quickly from $50 for the 2nd fall alarm to $500 for each false alarm over the 6th.

What some may not realize is that this registration must be renewed every year. Those who have registered in the past should receive a notice when it is time to renew, but you can also go to this address to check your status.https://www.crywolfservices.com/atlantaga/ You can also pay fines online and dispute a false alarm claim.

Know Your Terms When Reporting Crime


We all commonly say, "I was robbed", when something is taken from us. However, when talking with law enforcement the words robbery, burglary, and larceny have very different meanings and will elicit a very different response.

Today on Nextdoor we heard of a shoplifting incident at the CVS on N. Highland. Unfortunately, reports indicate that a customer at CVS called 911 and reported that the CVS was being robbed. This brought officers from all over the zone along with the air unit in helicopters to try and locate what APD believed to be dangerous suspects who had used force or threat of force. Clearly an unnecessary drain on resources for three shoplifters who fled the store.

The FBAC team assembled a glossary that may help all of us to better understand these terms. Find it here http://www.fbacvahi.com/p/fbac-glossary.html. A lawyer might quibble with some of the language in these definitions, but the intent was to write something in plain English that we can all understand. BTW, shoplifting is considered a larceny as are snatch and grabs (ex. when someone steals a cellphone or laptop off the table while the owner is not paying attention).

Crime Statistics


The following information is taken from our APD Zone 6 report (http://atlantapd.org/Zone6.aspx).
It includes information from the Virginia-Highland Beat 601 reported incidents along with relevant reports from other nearby beats. 

Keep in mind that not all incidents are reported. A map showing the location of beats 601 – 612 within Zone 6 can be found at this link http://boundaries.atlantapd.org/Map-Zone6-Beats.aspx

This information is not shared to scare anyone, but to let you know what happens around us every day so you can be alert and aware.

Homicide None reported in Beat 601 and None in Zone 6.

Rape None reported in Beat 601 and one reported in Zone 6.

Pedestrian/Carjacking Robbery None reported in Beat 601 and nine reported in Zone 6.

Residential Robbery None reported in Beat 601 and six in Zone 6.

Commercial Robbery None reported in Beat 601 and one in Zone 6.

Aggravated Assault None reported in Beat 601 and eight reported in Zone 6.

Residential Burglary One reported in Beat 601 and twenty-six reported in Zone 6.

On July 6, 2016 at approximately 7:30 am a residential burglary was discovered on Arlington Place and reported to police. The homeowner left home around 10:30 on the previous evening and returned at 7:05 the next morning to find his front door wide open along with a front porch window. Suspects removed two computers, as well as an iPad, Apple watch, and Apple Nano. 

This homeowner did have an alarm system, but unfortunately it was not turned on while he was away. Also, there were no signs of forced entry, so it is likely the suspect entered through the unlocked front window. It is believed that house cleaners may have left it unlocked. Two prints were found and submitted for evidence in this case. 

The take away is to regularly check windows and door to make sure they are locked and to always engage your alarm system if you have one.

Commercial Burglary None reported in Beat 601 and three reported in Zone 6.

Larceny From Vehicle Two reported in Beat 601 and thirty-six reported in Zone 6.

Vehicles were entered on Lanier Blvd, and N. Highland Ave. In both cases windows were broken to gain entry. Stolen were book bags in both cases containing ID, cash, debit cards, etc. In the case of the break-in on N. Highland video captured two suspects. One was a tall thin black male wearing a blue shirt and blue shoes and the second was a black male wearing a black and white shirt. They were driving a silver Mercedes four door sedan with tinted windows and sunroof.

Note that this was an especially light period for auto break-ins. However, do not let your guard down. Please remember to remove any items from sight whether valuable or not. A bag full of dirty gym clothes might not be valuable to you, but a thief doesn’t know what it inside and will break your window to find out. This is also true of charger cords, etc. If they see a cord they will break a window to see if the phone, iPod, etc. in in the glove box or console.

Other Larcenies None reported in Beat 601 and twenty-five reported in Zone 6.

Auto Theft None reported in Beat 601 and sixteen in Zone 6.

If this report was forwarded to you by someone other than your street captain and you would like to be added to the distribution, please send a message to me at VaHiSafety@gmail.com with your name, email address, and affiliation. If you are new to your street, include your street address and we will get you in contact you’re your street captain. Thanks.

Stay Safe!

Kay Stephenson

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