Public Safety Topic of the Month

School will start back in Cobb in two weeks and as a result, students will be waiting at the bus stops throughout the county. Please slow down and pay careful attention during the morning and afternoon hours around the school zones and bus stops. To avoid feeling rushed, try to give yourself a few extra minutes in the morning as you head to work or to drop the kids off at school. It does wonders for your stress level and you are a much safer driver when you aren’t running late.

Please stay alert and watch for school buses as they stop to load and unload their child passengers. Remember traffic is required to stop in both directions. The only time you do not have to stop for a school bus when it is loading and unloading is when you are driving on a divided highway consisting of four or more lanes that has a center median, and you are travelling in the opposite direction of the school bus.

To aid in the detection and prosecution of drivers who do not follow the law many Cobb County School buses are equipped with Stop-Arm cameras which will take digital photos of the offending vehicle. The fines are not cheap - a conviction will add 6 points to your license, and your insurance premiums will likely go up.

REMINDER – Entering Autos and Slider Thefts

 “Slider thefts” have decreased in our area, however we urge residents to stay vigilant in their efforts to reduce their chances of becoming a victim of this type of crime. 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. On some occasions, the thieves steal the victim’s vehicle, as the victim watches their own vehicle driven away. Entering auto thefts have increased for parked/unattended vehicles. In most of these incidents, the thieves force entry into victims’ vehicles and take items of value.

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.
• When parking your vehicle anywhere, particularly at home for the night, do not leave valuables in your car.

Our Officers Hard at Work

On 6/18/2019, multiple Entering Autos were reported at the Aquatic Center in Zone 5. The week before, the same suspects committed entering autos there and immediately went to the Aquatic Center in Zone 3 and committed several more entering autos. Knowing this, Pct. 3 officers went to the center in Zone 3 and located the suspects there. The suspects fled and were chased by Georgia State Patrol officers south on I-75. The suspects wrecked, fled the scene on foot, and got away. The vehicle was processed, stolen property was located, and two suspects were identified. Investigation led to the suspects being charged with a combined 20 felony charges related to multiple entering auto incidents.

On 7/11/2019, uniformed officers received a FLOCK notification of a stolen tag near Pat Mell Rd and Austell Rd. While checking the area, the officers located the vehicle and detained the driver, while the passenger fled on foot. The passenger was eventually taken into custody after the foot chase. The driver had a large amount of methamphetamine on him. He had outstanding warrants for Carjacking out of Gwinnett County, Robbery and Aggravated Assault warrants out of Doraville, and probation warrants out of Milton and Alpharetta. A stolen gun with the serial number scratched off was found in the vehicle.

The driver was charged with Possession of Methamphetamine with Intent to Distribute, Theft by Receiving Stolen Vehicle (and tag), Obstruction, and Interference with Government Property. The passenger was charged with Obstruction, Theft by Receiving (gun), Altered ID Marks, and Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. The passenger also had a probation warrant out of Cherokee County. 

On 7/13/2019, uniformed officers responded to a person shot at 2665 Favor Road. Upon arrival, they located the victim laying on the ground outside of building 2G – he had been shot in the chest and his hand. Officers, who are trained in tactical first aid, applied a chest seal to the victim. EMS personnel reported the aid was effective, likely preventing further injury or death due to the victim having a collapsed lung. Investigation revealed the shooting occurred during a large fight outside the building. Although the identity of the shooter was not known at the time, five other arrests were made as a result of the investigation.

These are just three 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 proactive 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 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.

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

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.

Sign Up for PENS Bulletins

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

If you have any questions or concerns feel free to contact us at Precinct3Pens@cobbcounty.org.

 

Thank you for your participation

Lieutenant C E Dong -   Precinct 3 Criminal Investigations Unit
Sergeant J M Holt - Precinct 3 Criminal Investigations Unit (Day)
Sergeant C S Sperrazza - Precinct 3 Criminal Investigations Unit (Evening)