Welcome to the April 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

Identity Theft

Identity theft occurs when someone wrongfully uses your personal identification to obtain credit, loans, services, even rentals and mortgages in your name. Information can be stolen from a consumer in a variety of ways including:

• Going through your mail or trash to take pre-approved credit card offers, discarded receipts, or other personal information
• Stealing your purse or wallet
• Calling you over the phone posing as a solicitor in order to gain personal information including date of birth and social security number
• Looking over your shoulder at an ATM while you are accessing your account to steal your password or pin.

Avoid becoming a victim:

• Order copies of your credit report from all 3 credit reporting agencies to get as much information as possible.
• Contact the credit reporting agencies in writing and let them know you are disputing inaccurate items in your credit report due to possible identity theft.
• Contact the credit card companies who are reporting the false debt and have them investigate possible identity theft.
• Keep all copies of all letters; document phone calls and request a letter from the agencies stating these items are under investigation.
• Do not carry important documents such as your social security card, birth certificate or passport unless absolutely necessary.
• Only carry the credit cards in your purse or wallet that you need when shopping.
• Keep a list of your credit card account numbers, with expiration dates and telephone numbers for all your bank accounts and keep them in a safe location. In an emergency, you can notify these companies quickly to avoid fraudulent charges or purchases.
• Invest in a shredder and shred discarded papers with your information.
• Use a mix of letters and numbers when creating passwords. Never use "password", "1234", your name, or dates such as your birthday.

Here are some effective ways to combat Identity Theft:

• Get a FREE annual credit report: annualcreditreport.com. Check and review your credit report. Report any discrepancies to the credit reporting agency. Put an alert on your credit if necessary.
• Stop prescreened credit card offers coming to your home: optoutprescreen.com or call 1-888-5-OPTOUT.
• Stop telemarketing calls: donotcall.gov
• Stop receiving unwanted catalogs and other telemarketing mail: dmachoice.org

Shred your old credit card, bank statements, bills, etc. to avoid dumpster diving. For more information on ID Theft or what to do if you are a victim, please go to ftc.gov.

A Crisis Has No Schedule

Help is available 24/7 for problems with developmental disabilities, mental health, drugs, or alcohol.

Call the Georgia Crisis & Access Line at 1-800-715-4225 or visit georgiacollaborative.com.

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

Weapon Violation Arrest

On 4/9/21 at 10:50 AM, officers responded to a shots fired call.  While en route, the call was upgraded to a Person Armed call when another complainant called and stated that a male had fired shots outside of an apartment building and was leaving the area in a green Lexus. Officer Winston pulled into the complex and passed the suspect's vehicle. He turned around, and conducted a felony stop of the driver with other units that arrived on scene. The driver was in possession of a stolen handgun, and was arrested on the scene.

Serial Burglar Arrest

After a 5-month investigation working with the Douglasville Sheriff’s Office, the Fairburn Police Department, and the Atlanta Police Department, Detective J. Uzee was able to identify and charge a serial burglar with Smash and Grab burglaries at three separate Dollar General’s, Family Dollar, Popeyes, and Dunkin Donuts. The Douglasville Sheriff’s Office charged him with five Smash and Grab burglaries. The Fairburn Police Department charged him with several Smash and Grab burglaries. The Atlanta Police Department added charges of Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon, Firearm in the Commission of a Felony, Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon, and Theft by Shoplifting over $2,000 effectively ending a multi-jurisdictional crime spree.

 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