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.

Upcoming Events

“Backing the Need”  School Supply Drive

Hosted by: KIDS CARE & The Cobb County Police Department

www.kids-care2018.org

Where: Cobb Civic Center 548 S. Marietta Pkwy SE Marietta, GA 30060

When: July 17th & 23rd  8am – 12pm  Drive by & Drop Off

All new donations will be given to students (all ages) in need in Cobb County for the 2021/22 School year

*A requested donations list can be found at the Cobb County Police Department Facebook Page

Public Safety Topic of the Month

Cobb County Police Department Helpful Links and Information

New Cobb Police Headquarters, Central Records, and Permits location

545 S. Fairground Street
Marietta, GA 30060
770-499-3900

To Obtain Police Reports

• Must have a valid I.D.
• Payment for the report

Obtaining Accident Reports

Accident reports are generally available for pick up 3-5 business days after the event. There is a $5.00 charge for all non-involved parties.

• In-person: Involved parties can go to any precinct or Police Headquarters. Non-involved parties must go to Police Headquarters. A valid form of identification will be requested.
• By mail: Mail a request, a copy of a valid form of identification, and a self-addressed stamped envelope to:
  Cobb County Police Department
  Central Records
  545 South Fairground Street
  Marietta, Georgia 30060
• By email: Please send an email request to policeopenrecordsofficer@cobbcounty.org with a copy of valid photo identification.
• Online: Cobb Police to Citizen

Obtaining Incident Reports

Incident reports that are 10 or more pages are 10¢ per page for non-involved parties. To obtain a copy of an incident report:

• In-person: Involved parties can go to any of the five Cobb County precincts or Central Records to obtain a copy of most incident reports. Parties not listed as involved on the reports, or parties requesting reports involving juveniles, domestic violence, rape, or stalking must go to Central Records to obtain a copy of the report.
• By mail: Mail a request, a copy of a valid form of identification, and a self-addressed stamped envelope to:
  Cobb County Police Department
  Central Records
  545 South Fairground Street
  Marietta, Georgia 30060
• By email: Email the request to policeopenrecordsofficer@cobbcounty.org. Reports involving juveniles, domestic violence, rape, or stalking can only be obtained at Central Records.
• Online: Cobb Police to Citizen

Vehicle/Impound Release

A release form for an impounded vehicle may be obtained from the precinct from where it was impounded, or from Central Records at Police Headquarters. Proof of ownership and a valid form of identification will be required. Proof of ownership may be a certificate of title, tag receipt, bill of sale, GCIC VIN/tag returns, or other such evidence that specifically describes the vehicle.

If there is a hold on the vehicle, it shall not be released without the permission of the authorizing officer.

A 3rd party who is sent by the owner to pick up a vehicle must have:

• A valid form of identification; and
• A signed and notarized letter from the owner specifically naming 1) the individual to pick up the vehicle, and 2) a description of the vehicle, to include the vehicle make, model, color, and VIN (or tag number); and
• Proof that the signatory owns the vehicle.

Pay a Citation

cobbstatecourtpayments.com

Submit a Crime Tip or Suspicious Activity

Submit a Crime Tip

Current Crime Trends

Theft of Lumber

Ladies and Gentlemen, one of our current crime trends has become the theft of lumber and building materials. With the prices of lumber being very high, we have had several incidents of unknown individuals coming to new construction neighborhoods and loading up trucks and trailers with as much lumber as they can. If you are a builder, real estate agent, or resident of a new construction subdivision we want you to be aware of these thefts.

Things you can do:

1. Secure the lumber in a locked enclosure.
2. Schedule deliveries for the days you will be using the product.
3. Have a good camera system that records the lumber and all vehicles coming in and out.
4. Have the residents already living in the subdivision be on the lookout for the thefts.
   1. Have them immediately call 911.
   2. Get a good description of the persons and vehicles.
   3. If possible, obtain a tag number and advise the 911 operator the direction they leave.

Pine Straw Scam

Cobb County Police Precinct 5 Criminal Investigation Unit would like to pass along some information regarding a Pine Straw Scam that has been going on in Cobb County for the past year.

How the Scam Works:

Workers approach homeowners and explain they are in the area working, have extra pine straw, then offer to sell and spread the pine straw for approximately $4.00 per bale. Depending on the size of the yard, the agreement is to spread approximately 10-50 bales of pine straw.

At some point, the workers contact the homeowner and say that they will take more pine straw than anticipated to complete the job. The homeowner agrees with the assumption it will only take a few more bales to complete the job.

When the workers finish the job, they advise the homeowner they installed approximately 4 times the bales the homeowner anticipated. The workers then try to collect several thousands of dollars for the work they claim they did. In most of the cases, the homeowners start negotiating a rate higher than agreed upon initially, but lower than the workers are asking simply to get them to leave.

Avoiding the Scam:

• Use extreme caution when dealing with walk-up salespeople.
• Ask them for a business card or website so that you can research the business before they start the work.
• If possible, obtain the business name, employee names, phone numbers, and tag numbers.
• Check for a Cobb County Business License and Better Business Bureau review.
• If it is a verbal agreement, record the conversation, agree on the specific work that you want to be done, and agree on a specific final price before any work starts.
• Trying to save a few dollars is not worth it. Use a local reputable company that is established, licensed, and insured.
• If you feel that you are being scammed or intimidated to pay a higher amount immediately call 911 to have the issue reported and hopefully resolved.

What You Can Do

Burglary Prevention

• Lock your doors, including the one from the garage.
• Keep garage doors closed-check before bed every night.
• Use motion sensor-activated lighting.
• Use 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

• Use anti-theft mailboxes with a special locking system.
• Use 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.

Online Registration Form

 

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

Cobb County Police Department
Criminal Investigation Unit Pct. 5
4640 Dallas Highway
Powder Springs, GA 30127
(770) 499-4578

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