Welcome to the Winter 2019 edition of the PENS Bulletin. 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.

Topic of the Month

Student Safety Tips

It is estimated that approximately 40,000 staff and students are in and about the campus of Kennesaw State University every day. That is the equivalent of a sold out Atlanta Braves Game at Sun Trust Park. This provides an opportunity for the criminal element to take advantage of someone’s inattentiveness. These are a few tips to help prevent these criminal acts:

• Lock your doors. Whether it’s your car door or your room door, an unsecured door is an open invitation to a thief.
• Do not leave your valuables unattended. Even a minute away from your phone or laptop is plenty of time for it to disappear.
• Be aware of your surroundings, travel with friends, walk in well-lit areas, and do not let persons you do not know into secured complexes or apartments. 

If your instincts are telling you something does not seem right, it probably is not.  If you see something suspicious, call 911. We can then investigate and determine if any criminal activity exists.

Current Crime Trends

Thefts from Vehicles a.k.a. Entering Autos

The Precinct 1 are has experienced an increase in Entering Autos during the past couple of months. Organized groups or gangs from other jurisdictions have been active in the North Cobb County area. Their preferred method of operation is to canvass a neighborhood during overnight hours, checking the door handles of the cars parked in driveways. When they find one unlocked, they enter and take any valuables found. Next, they head back to neighborhoods in other jurisdictions where the stolen items are sold on the street.

This is a reminder for everyone to lock your cars both when parked at your home and when you are out in public. Also remove all valuables from the car. Taking these two steps can go a long way in preventing these crimes.

Being vigilant not only applies at home but at work and leisure, too. We have had numerous thefts from office parks and shopping centers where the victims left their purses, wallets, cell phones, electronics, and other valuables inside their cars unattended. Take all personal belongings with you when go into your place of employment or other establishment. If you see persons loitering or wandering around the parking lot please call 911.

Identity Theft

Some Entering Auto victims also become victims of Identity Theft after their personal Information is stolen from documents that were left in their car. It is a year-round problem that often spikes around tax refund time. Identity thieves can use a taxpayer's personal information to fraudulently file a tax return and claim a refund, and the unsuspecting victim may not become aware until their own refund gets denied.

In other cases, the identity thief may use the taxpayer's personal information in order to get a job. The victim remains unaware until the IRS sends out a notice indicating underreported income. Identity thieves can access your personal information by many different means including: 

• Stealing your wallet or purse
• Posing as someone who needs information about you through a phone call or email
• Looking through your trash for personal information
• Accessing information you provide to an unsecured website

According to the IRS, they do not initiate contact through email or social media websites for the purpose of requesting personal or financial information, nor do they send emails stating you are being electronically audited or getting a refund. Should you receive a scam email claiming to be from the IRS, forward it to the IRS at phishing@irs.gov.

If you believe you may be at risk for identity theft due to a lost or stolen wallet or questionable credit card transactions, you should contact the IRS with proof of your identity. Submit a copy of your valid government-issued identification, such as a Social Security card, driver's license, or passport along with a copy of a police report and/or a completed IRS Form 14039, Identity Theft Affidavit. These items can be faxed to the IRS at (855) 807-5720 or you can contact the IRS Identity Protection Specialized Unit directly at (800) 908-4490.

There are several simple things you can do to limit your chances of becoming a victim of identity theft. 

• Make it a habit to remove your wallet or purse from the car.
• Shred bills or anything with personal information before putting it in the trash or have bills delivered electronically.
• Avoid carrying your Social Security Card with you unless you know you will need it. Keep it in a secure place at home.
• Never give out any personal identifying information through email or over the phone.
• Only shop at websites that you are familiar with and that display a secure URL. (https)

If you pay your bills by check, use a drop box or the post office for mailing instead of the mailbox. A check includes your bank routing and account numbers along with your name, address, and phone number.

Be proactive and monitor your credit report. Consider a credit monitoring service and check your credit report every year. You can obtain a free report annually from each of the nationwide credit reporting agencies from AnnualCreditReport.com.

Source: irs.gov 

Cobb County Camera Registry

With the increased popularity of home security cameras, the use of these systems to help identify criminals has become an important tool for law enforcement. We have recently used a citizen’s images that they provided to make an arrest in several Entering Autos. In an effort to be able to obtain these videos in a timelier manner the Cobb County Police Department has implemented a Security 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.

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

 

This concludes the Winter PENS Bulletin. Please continue to stay involved, stay alert, and help look out for your neighbors!