Precinct 5 PENS November 2019
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
Holiday Travel Tips
Keeping Watch
Ask a reliable friend, neighbor or family member to drop by your house every now and then. Ask them to check out your home more than once a week and get them to take any mail, newspapers, and packages you receive inside.
Lighting
Be sure to make it seem like you’re in your home while you’re away. Connect lights to timers in different rooms for various times of the day and night. You could also light up the porch using a timing controller or light sensor. Install motion sensor lights at the front and rear of your house that will turn on if the movement of a person or vehicle is detected. Ensure outside lights and sensors are out of arms reach so that they cannot be tampered with.
Don’t Advertise
Be sure that only people you know, and trust are aware of your holiday plans. If you announce your plans to unknown people, they could use the information for an organized burglary. One thing you should never do is to advertise that you are going or are on vacation on social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter. There have been cases where people have done this and the day after they have left their house was broken into. It is extremely easy for messages and posts to spread around the internet quickly. If a burglar gets a hold of this message, then they can see that your home is an easy target.
Package Theft Prevention
- Have packages delivered to work.
- Schedule deliveries for times you are home.
- Ask neighbors to get packages.
- Require a signature.
- Consider using Amazon Smart Lockers.
- Place a lockbox or Package Guard on the porch.
- Monitor your front porch with security cameras or video doorbells.
E-Commerce Safe Zones
As Christmas draws close we will all be searching for that “perfect gift at a perfect price.” Many of you will turn to E-Commerce like Craigslist, Offer-Up, and Facebook Market Place to purchase those gifts. Our main goal here at Cobb Police Precinct 5 is that all of those purchases will be done in a safe manner at a safe place. The Cobb County Police Department has implemented “E-Commerce Zones” at each precinct and headquarters to provide residents with a safe place to conduct internet trades and sales. The zones are marked with blue signs in well-lit places that are under video surveillance. The Precinct 5 zone is the parking places just outside the front doors of the precinct.
Upcoming Events
Cobb County Police Department’s First Citizen’s Safety Academy
Date: Saturday, December 14th, 2019
Times: Session 1: 9 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. / Session 2: 1 p.m. - 4 p.m.
Location: 1220 Al Bishop Road, Marietta, GA 30008
Each session will have three classes that will cover the following topics:
- Active Shooter Preparedness
- Holiday Safety
- Neighborhood Safety Open Forum Q&A
- Community Affairs Overview
The attendees of each session will be split into three groups which will rotate through each of the classes. Every group will visit each class. Each session will cover the same three classes.
Seating is limited so make sure you sign up today on EventBrite! If you have questions, comments, or concerns, Brianna Anders can help! She can be reached at brianna.anders@cobbcounty.org.
Current Crime Trends
Entering Autos
Ladies and Gentlemen, our current crime trends continue to be Entering Autos. The bulk of the Entering Autos are taking place overnight and early in the morning. The majority of all the Entering Autos have been UNLOCKED vehicles with valuables including guns left inside. Please remove all valuables, especially guns, from your vehicles every time you park and leave the vehicle. Also, double check that all vehicle doors are locked.
A crime trend that happens around this time of year is Entering Autos at childcare facilities. The suspects will sit and watch parents pull up to the front of the daycare to drop off or pick up a child. If they see that the parent doesn’t lock the vehicle door they pull up next to the vehicle and the suspect in the passenger side will open the vehicle door and take whatever is available.
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