Precinct 3 PENS April 2019
Welcome to the April edition of the 2019 Pens Bulletin brought to you by the Cobb County Police Criminal Investigations Unit at Precinct Three.
Public Safety Topic of the Month
Once again we are entering the warmer months and Summer is around the corner. With that, comes an increase in thefts and other property related crimes.
Some reminders should help you reduce the chances of becoming a victim. First, lock your doors and cars when you are out and about shopping, involved in sporting activities, vacationing or just relaxing at your neighborhood pool. Many thefts are merely crimes of opportunity and can be prevented by common sense measures.
Locking homes and vehicles are just a start. Here are some simple ways to lessen the likelihood of becoming a victim:
- Lock your homes and vehicles
- Don’t leave your purse / wallet in your vehicle in plain view
- Remove all electronic devices from your vehicle (GPS units, PSP, laptop computers and cell phones).
- Don’t leave firearms in your vehicle in plain view
- Use motion censored exterior lighting
- DO NOT post vacations or absences from your home on Face Book, Instagram, Twitter, etc.
- Watch out for your neighbors
Please remember to call 911 when you witness any crime in progress or suspicious activity.
REMINDER - Slider Thefts
Slider thefts continue to plague our community, especially on the southern borders of Cobb County. If you haven’t heard already, “Slider Thefts” typically occur when victims are pumping gas. Thieves enter the gas station parking lot, typically in a stolen vehicle, and pull alongside an unsuspecting victim as they pump their gas. The thief crouches down, out of the victim’s view, and opens the victim’s car door on the opposite side and steals his/her personal belongings on the front seat or floorboard. In more recent reports, the thieves steal the victim’s vehicle and leave them standing alone as they watch their own vehicle being driven away. With an uptick in these incidents, citizens should take every precaution to avoid becoming a victim.
Tips for our citizens
- Pay attention to your surroundings.
- Remove your keys, close the window and lock the doors while pumping gas.
- Take your purse/wallet with you.
- Pick well-lit gas stations equipped with surveillance cameras.
- Do Not let your cell phone distract you.
- Do Not engage suspects as they may be armed.
- Call 911 and provide clothing, vehicle description and direction of travel.
Our Officers Hard at Work
On 4/10/2019, Precinct 3 Officers responded to a report of several dogs viciously attacking people on Beverly Lane. When the officers arrived, they learned the pack of dogs had gone back inside the home in which they lived, and were now attacking a resident inside. The officers forced entry into the home when they heard the female victim screaming for help, used lethal force against the animals, and were able to save the female from the attack. In total, five people were attacked by the dogs and were treated for injuries they suffered at the hands of the animals. Due to the efforts of our officers, the last victim was spared more serious injury.
In March of 2019, detectives from CIU3 received notification of a DNA match to a suspect from blood collected from a 2015 Entering Auto case. The identified suspect is currently in Reidsville State Prison on unrelated charges. Detectives searched incidents from 2015 and found at least ten more Entering Autos closely related to the incident with the match. The resulting investigation led to 21 Entering Auto Charges and 21 Gang charges being brought against the identified suspect!
These are just two great examples of our officers and detectives working hard to serve the citizens of Cobb County and keep them safe.
Community Affairs Officers for Precinct 3
Officer Stoney is assigned as the Community Affairs officer serving the community in Precinct 3.
The Community Affairs Unit seeks to effectively engage the community and citizens to strengthen Public Safety and community partnerships, facilitate a joint effort in solving problems which affect our community, and foster enhanced trust, communication, transparency, and mutual respect.
Officers help foster a strong working relationship between the Department and the community it serves. Officers work with homeowner’s associations, community organizations, advocacy groups, public and private schools, faith-based organizations, and individual residents to promote partnerships that are mutually beneficial.
As a result of these working partnerships, the officers are able to develop pro-active crime fighting projects that are jointly undertaken by Department personnel and citizens.
If you have a concern affecting your area or would like more information regarding this unit, please contact Officer Stoney.
Officer Stoney can be reached via email at Rasean.Stoney@cobbcounty.org
Stay up to Date with Critical Information
Cobb Department of Public Safety staff is working to enhance the delivery of near real-time information to residents about incidents that may have significant and/or imminent impacts on their safety or welfare. DPS has implemented the SwiftReach Swift911 notification system to distribute these types of alerts.
SwiftReach is a high-speed emergency notification system that alerts residents to emergency situations including severe weather, missing and endangered persons or significant road closures due to fatality accidents or other unplanned incidents in the local area. The program has the capability of delivering pre-recorded messages to the entire county via telephone, cell phone, email and text messaging. The system uses a publicly-available list of phone numbers that can be removed or updated by both residents and businesses.
There are two simple options to opt-in and provide contact information for this service. Sign up on for the service online. Residents can also get the Swift911 Mobile App by texting the word “Swift911” to “99538.” The response text will be a link for the Swift 911 app in the app store. SwiftReach is another example of using current technology to ensure residents receive vital information from the Department of Public Safety.
Police Athletic League
Cobb PAL focuses on juvenile crime prevention through athletic and recreational activities for Cobb County’s high-risk neighborhoods, primarily in South Cobb. There are many ways that you can help, whether it be spreading the word, getting your children involved, volunteering your time and resources or donating money. If you wish to assist this worthwhile program and make a donation, visit Ways to Help.
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 homeowners, HOAs, businesses, and business communities to partner with the Cobb County Police Department in our efforts to make Cobb County a safer community in which to live, work, and play.
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.
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Lieutenant C E Dong - Precinct 3 Criminal Investigations Unit
Sergeant C S Sperrazza - Precinct 3 Criminal Investigations Unit (Day)
Sergeant J M Holt - Precinct 3 Criminal Investigations Unit (Evening)