We are at the time of year when folks all over the county are considering fresh paint and all the other home repairs that are associated with home ownership. This brings us to our topic of the month.

Public Safety Topic of the Month

Most building contractors, plumbers, electricians and roofers are ethical people who perform quality work. But, there ARE scammers roaming the county in search of a quick buck. Thus, we have homeowners scammed by contractors.

It's easy to get ripped off by seemingly sincere contractors. Beware of the following as they may help you avoid becoming the next victim:

Scare Tactics: This is a favorite of scam artists, especially when they approach senior citizens. Sometimes, they'll drop by your house and offer a "free" estimate to assess "problems" with your roof, siding, driveway, etc. Naturally, the scammer always finds something wrong, and then uses inferior materials to "repair" the problem while charging you a big fee.

• Tip: Always get at least two estimates for any "damage" to your home and always consult friends, family or neighbors to learn the names of contractors they've used in the past; ones they were satisfied with.

Instant Estimates: The typical scammer will "assess" problems at your home, and offer a verbal "quote" on how much these problems will cost to fix. If the contractor later charges twice his estimate, or damages your property during the "repair" process, you face an additional problem.

• Tip: Legitimate contractors are certified, insured and/or bonded by the state and/or town where you live. What's more: they offer written estimates for you to inspect (and often sign) before work commences.

Door to Door Salesmen: Avoid door-to-door salesmen who claim they just happened to be in the neighborhood because they were doing work for someone nearby, especially if they claim they have materials left over from the last job. If a contractor brought materials from another job, he is likely cheating his previous customer out of the materials they purchased.

• Tip: Honest contractors earn most of their business through referrals from satisfied customers. They don't need to travel door-to-door to find business.

Cash Only: This scenario is easy and common: the contractor tells you he requires that you pay in cash.

• Tip: Never agree to a cash-only deal. If someone asks for cash only, you almost certainly know you're not dealing with a reputable contractor. Chances are you'll never see this person again after giving him your hard-earned cash

Pay Upfront: Again, if you pay upfront, you may never see this "contractor" again.

• Tip: No reputable contractor will ask for most, or all, of his payment immediately. In fact, most legitimate contractors only bill after the job is done to your satisfaction. If someone asks for a large upfront payment, beware!

Referral Schemes: Some scammers will offer you a substantial "discount" if you promise to refer other customers or let them show off your home as a "model" or "demonstration" project.

• Tip: At best, this is a marketing gimmick. At worst, it's an outright scam, because the "discount" is usually not a discount at all. Shop around; you will discover that a reputable contractor's "full price" was better than the scammer's so-called discount.

We realize that some readers are veteran homeowners, who know most of this stuff and hopefully, they haven't learned it the hard way. But we also realize that there are home buyers who can benefit from this advice.

Either way, be cautious before hiring somebody to remodel or repair your house. Get two or three estimates and, again, consult with friends, family and neighbors for the names of honest and reliable contractors and tradesmen in your area.

REMINDER – Entering Autos and Slider Thefts

Entering Autos and “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. On some occasions, the thieves steal the victim’s vehicle and leave them standing alone as they watch their own vehicle being driven away.

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 5/6/2019 at approximately 5:11 a.m., Precinct 3 officers were dispatched to a fight at Cedar Glen Apartments. The call was upgraded to a person armed with a knife. Officers arrived and learned the suspect had come to his ex-girlfriend’s apartment and initiated confrontation with the victim and her current boyfriend, during which the suspect produced a knife. The victim fled into a neighboring apartment, where the suspect followed. He prevented her from leaving and covered her mouth to keep her from yelling for help. Responding officers were able to safely remove both from the apartment and take the suspect into custody without incident. The suspect was arrested and charged with burglary and false imprisonment. 

On 5/13/2019, Precinct 3 Criminal Investigation Unit detectives were contacted by a detective with Irving Police in Texas, in reference to a suspect who was coming to the Galleria area to sell stolen purses. The high value purses had been taken in a residential burglary in Texas and the total value of the theft was over $500,000. The suspect had made a trip to a business at Galleria to sell a portion of the purses for $23,000 on 5/1/2019. The suspect had told the business owner that she would return to sell more purses on 5/14/2019. Detectives here contacted the business owner and set up a plan to arrest the suspect when she arrived for her afternoon appointment. Detectives were able to arrest the suspect when she arrived at the business. The suspect had a suitcase containing seven purses that matched the ones taken in the burglary. She was charged with felony theft by deception, two counts of felony theft by receiving, and two counts of felony transport of stolen property over state lines. The total value of the purses recovered on this date was $48,450.

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.

Online Registration Form

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.

 

Thank you for your participation

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)