Precinct 5 PENS February 2020
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
E-Commerce Buying and Selling
Over the past 5-10 years, the E-Commerce Applications business has become more and more popular to buy and sell all types of products in your local area. Examples of these companies that can operate on a local level are Craigslist, Offerup, LetGo, Facebook Marketplace and many more. With these new phone and computer applications, we have seen an increase in fraud and theft. Below are some tips to avoid becoming a victim.
- Read all of the Terms and Conditions prior to using these services. Ensure the company that you are using to buy and sell has built-in protections for reimbursement.
- The Precinct 5 Criminal Investigation Unit has been receiving reports of people meeting face to face to purchase or sell items and then becoming a victim of theft. The individual they are meeting with will dictate the location and then ask to see the item to make sure it works and then run off with the item. Or they will sell a non-working item and leave with the money or just snatch the money out of the victim's hand and runoff.
- To combat these crimes the Cobb County Police Department has set up “E-Commerce Zones” at Police Headquarters and all five precincts. These areas are marked with blue signs in the parking lots and are recorded 24 hours a day. If you and the other party park in these designated areas it will record the vehicles, parties involved, and the transaction.
- The Precinct 5 Criminal Investigation Unit has also been receiving reports of people buying and selling items by using “Cash Pay Apps” and then becoming victims. The victims would pay for items that they found on the E-Commerce site and then never receive the item. Or they would send the items and never receive the money.
- To combat these issues make sure that you are using “E-Commerce” and “Pay Apps” that allow you to dispute and get reimbursement from the companies directly. Most of these companies are just facilitators and will not investigate or reimburse your money.
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