Precinct 5 PENS April 2019
Community Partners,
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.
Public Safety Topic of the Month
Mail Theft Prevention
We have had a few recent reports of mail stolen from residential mailboxes. Credit cards are being stolen and used fraudulently. If you were unaware, the Post Office offers the ability to email you with a preview of your incoming mail daily. You may then be aware sooner of a potential theft.
Sign up at USPS.COM
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service also offers the following tips.
Here's what you can do to protect your mail from thieves:
- Use the letter slots inside your Post Office for your mail, or hand it to a letter carrier.
- Pick up your mail promptly after delivery. Don’t leave it in your mailbox overnight. If you're expecting checks, credit cards, or other negotiable items, ask a trusted friend or neighbor to pick up your mail.
- If you don't check or other valuable mail you're expecting, contact the issuing agency immediately.
- If you change your address, immediately notify your Post Office and anyone with whom you do business via the mail.
- Don’t send cash in the mail.
- Tell your Post Office when you’ll be out of town, so they can hold your mail until you return.
- Report all suspected mail theft to a Postal Inspector.
- Consult with your local Postmaster for the most up-to-date regulations on mailboxes, including the availability of locked centralized or curbside mailboxes.
If you see a mail thief at work, or if you believe your mail was stolen, call the police immediately, then call Postal Inspectors at (877) 876-2455 (press 3).
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. Also, double check that ALL vehicle doors are locked.
Mail Thefts
As mentioned above, there were a few mail thefts off Wright Rd near County Line Rd in the afternoon hours on 4/8/2019. Also, on 4/15/2019 at approximately 1:15 p.m. on Due West Rd at Antioch Rd, a neighbor observed mail being removed from the victim’s mailbox by an unknown person. The witness said it was a light silver 2008 Mazda 3 sedan with light tinted windows occupied by two black males in their mid-20s. The driver had long dreadlocks and around 170 lbs. He said the passenger was thinner than the driver, around 150 lbs, with short hair. The witness stated the passenger reached into the mailbox and removed the contents.
What You Can Do
Burglary Prevention
- Lock your doors, including the one from the garage
- Keep garage doors closed-check before bed every night
- Motion sensor activated lighting
- 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
- Anti-Theft mailboxes with a special locking system
- 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.
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 W.R. Pettitt
Det. Sergeant R.E. Hecksher
Criminal Investigation Unit Pct. 5
4640 Dallas Highway
Powder Springs, GA 30127
(770) 499-4578