Welcome to the December edition of the PENS Bulletin brought to you by the Cobb County Police Criminal Investigations Unit at Precinct Two.

Public Safety Topic of the Month

10 Tips to Protect Your Home During the Holidays

1. Holiday Theft: Theft overall tends to rise in the months of November and December. The best thing to do is make sure you secure everything you can. Lock cars, trucks, and homes while you're away.
2. Leave the Lights On: Thieves usually don't approach homes that appear to be occupied. Leave outside lights on at night (or set them with a timer) and when you leave the house during the day. Leave some indoor lights on to give the appearance someone is home.
3. Package Delivery: More and more people are purchasing gifts online and having them shipped to their home. With this trend, more people are having packages stolen right off their front porch. If you're expecting packages, request signature confirmation, have a trusted neighbor hold on to it for you, or have your package held at the post office, UPS store, or FedEx store.
4. Cooking Hazards: A fried turkey is delicious. A fried house due to a deep fryer accident is not. Make sure you read the instructions on how to prepare your turkey safely, and please use the deep fryer outside.
5. Decoration Hazards: Speaking of fires, Christmas tree fires can be devastating for what is normally a beacon of happiness. If you have a live tree, make sure that it has water every day and ensure that any lights you use are checked for breaks or exposed wires.
6. Creative Disposal: Dispose of your Christmas boxes and packaging creatively. Placing that 60" TV box outside on trash day after Christmas is asking for trouble. Break down boxes and other packaging as much as possible to avoid giving away what wonderful gifts your family received.
7. Social Media: In today's interconnected age, it's important to be very careful about what you share on social media. If you do decide to share your gifts in your posts, make sure your location isn't tagged in the post.
8. Travel: If you're traveling to visit family or going on a holiday vacation, wait until after your trip to post about it. Have a good friend or neighbor check on your house every couple of days to give you an update. If you have security cameras, make sure you arm them so you're alerted to trespassers.
9. Decorations & Lighting: Avoid running extension cords through windows or garage doors. The smallest crack can make it easy for thieves to open your doors or windows.
10. Who's at the Door: Criminals can try to scope your home by posing as a delivery person or someone looking for charitable donations. Be cautious when talking to people you're unfamiliar with and don't let them into your home.

Community Affairs Officers for Precinct 2

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 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.

Officer Mike Hill is assigned as the Community Affairs officers serving the community in Precinct 2.

If you have a concern affecting your area or would like more information regarding this unit, please contact Officer Mike Hill at Michael.Hill@cobbcounty.org.

Your Precinct 2 Heroes at Work

Serial Shoplifter Arrested

On 12/15/2020 a report was received that a man who had shoplifted from a gas station several times was in the gas station attempting to steal several items. The suspect already had an existing warrant issued for his arrest. Officers responded to the scene and located the suspect a short distance away from the gas station. They approached the suspect and made the arrest without incident. The subject was transported to jail for the existing warrant and will face charges for the shoplifting that he just committed.

Burglary Attempt Thwarted by Officers

On 12/10/2020, Officers responded to a call of a suspicious truck parked in a neighborhood. The truck was bearing an Alabama tag, Officers responded silently to the area to investigate. The officers located a man and woman that appeared startled by the officers. They had no reason to be in the neighborhood and a subsequent investigation turned up a prybar and screwdriver on the male. A house close to the investigation was found to have pry marks that matched the prybar on the exterior window. Further investigation found that the couple possessed other tools, a bent visa card that appeared to be used to try to defeat a door lock, ID that did not belong to the couple and a flashlight. The officers prevented a burglary with their thorough investigation.

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.

Fill out our Online Registration Form and find out more about the program.

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.

Sign Up for PENS Bulletins

Please refer your neighbors to sign up for the Police Email Notification System (PENS).

To sign up for the Police Email Notification system please subscribe.

If you have any questions or concerns feel free to contact us at Precinct2Pens@cobbcounty.org

 

Det. Lieutenant A. Leo
Det. Sergeant M. Nerbonne (Day) 
Det. Sergeant K. Clausen (Evenings)

4700 Austell Rd
Austell, GA 30106
Precinct2Pens@cobbcounty.org