Welcome to this month’s PENS, Police Email Notification System, bulletin. This monthly bulletin is brought to you from the Cobb County Police, Precinct 5 Criminal Investigations Unit (CIU5) and is designed to keep you aware of safety alerts and crime trends in your area and measures you can take to keep you and your family safe.

Current Crime Trends

Entering Autos

Ladies and Gentlemen, our current crime trends continue to be Entering Autos. The bulk of the Entering Autos are taking place overnight and early in the morning. The majority of all the Entering Autos have been UNLOCKED vehicles with valuables including guns left inside. PLEASE remove all valuables especially guns from your vehicles every time you park and leave the vehicle. During these Entering Autos, we had several vehicles that were also stolen. The perpetrators were able to steal the vehicles because victims had left their key fobs inside the vehicles. Even if you hide the key fob it still allows the perpetrator to hit the push-button start and leave with the vehicle. Remove all keys and key fobs before leaving your vehicle. Also, double check that ALL vehicle doors are locked.

If you observe someone breaking into vehicles do not approach them and immediately call 911. From a safe place provide 911 with an accurate description of the suspects, involved vehicles, and what direction the suspect is going. NO property is worth getting hurt over.

Residential Burglaries

There has been a recent increase in residential burglaries. The suspects have targeted houses that by their appearance, suggest that high end valuables are likely inside. The suspects prefer to enter the house after dark and when the residents are not home. The suspects are organized, wear masks and gloves and are otherwise prepared.

Residents are asked to contact their neighborhood watch groups and homeowners associations to spread the word about these burglaries and any precautions that can be taken.

What to Do:

• Install an alarm system. If you already have an alarm system, activate it every time you are not at home. Consider alarms on all exterior windows/doors and have it monitored by the company.
• Install a video surveillance system. Most alarm system companies can provide video surveillance. Video footage that is captured tremendously assists the investigation and prosecution.
• Install Flock camera systems and allow police access. The Flock system is usually posted at the entrances/exits of neighbor streets and captures vehicles entering and leaving. The information captured by Flock has assisted in many criminal investigations and is a very valuable tool.
• Consider the Cobb County Camera Registry.
• Be mindful of social media posts that divulge information about your personal life and possessions. When you post publicly about trips and vacations, you are letting the world know that you are not home. If you are going to be out of town, if possible have someone keep an eye on the place. Have an house guest if possible. Leave vehicles in the driveway and have your mail collected.
• Consider keeping high end valuables in bank lock boxes. Some lock boxes are actually kept inside the bank vault.
• Use a large, heavy safe at your home, don’t trust a small safe that can carried out by the suspect.
• Every action you take that makes the entry into your home and theft therein more difficult for the suspect, the less likely you will be a victim of a successful burglary.

What You Can Do

Burglary Prevention

• Lock your doors, including the one from the garage.
• Keep garage doors closed-check before bed every night.
• Use motion sensor-activated lighting.
• Use surveillance cameras.

Entering Auto Prevention

• Lock your vehicles and remove items of value and items that appear to contain valuables.
• If you can’t keep them with you, secure your valuables in the trunk before reaching your location.
• Keep your vehicle locked and your purse or wallet on your person while fueling at the gas station.

Postal Theft

• Use anti-theft mailboxes with a special locking system.
• Use security cameras.
• Do not raise the mail flag.
• Do not send cash, checks, or anything that has credit card information.

Remember to CALL 911 to report any suspicious persons or activity. If you see something, say something!

Cobb County Camera Registry

The Cobb County Police Camera Registration program is a police/community video partnership that operates on a voluntary basis with homeowners, neighborhoods and business owners who own private video surveillance systems. We encourage both businesses and residents to register their cameras online by completing the form below.

This program is intended to let our officers know where cameras are active in the county in case a crime occurs. It is not intended for active surveillance, and officers will not have direct access to homeowners' cameras. Those who register a camera will be contacted if a crime occurs in the vicinity of that camera.

Information provided by residents and businesses will be maintained in a secure database.

Online Registration Form

 

If you have not already signed up to receive the monthly PENS updates, please subscribe. Feel free to forward this e-mail to your HOA members and local businesses.

PENS is also sending out bulletins and alerts through its partnership with Nextdoor.com. Discover if your neighborhood is already signed up so you may join. If not, they will provide you with the necessary information.

Stay Safe,

Det. Lieutenant J.B Wade
Det. Sergeant J.T. Rainwater
Cobb County Police Department
Criminal Investigation Unit Pct. 5
4640 Dallas Highway
Powder Springs, GA 30127
(770) 499-4578