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 Safe Zones

As Thanksgiving and Christmas draw 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 location. The Cobb County Police Department has implemented “E-Commerce Zones” at all five precincts and headquarters to provide residents with a safe place to conduct E-Commerce trades and sales. The E-Commerce zones are marked with blue signs in well-lit places that are monitored by video surveillance. The Precinct 5 E-Commerce safety zone are the parking spots just outside the front doors of the precinct.

Police Precincts and Headquarters

• Precinct One: 2380 N. Cobb Parkway Kennesaw, GA 30152
• Precinct Two: 4700 Austell Rd Austell, GA 30106
• Precinct Three: 1901 Cumberland Parkway Atlanta, GA 30339
• Precinct Four: 4400 Lower Roswell Rd Marietta, GA 30067
• Precinct Five: 4640 Dallas Highway Powder Springs, GA 30127
• Headquarters: 545 Fairground St SE Suite 101 Marietta, GA 30060

Current Crime Trends

Entering Autos & Package Thefts

Ladies and Gentlemen, our current crime trends continue to be Entering Autos. Along with the overnight Entering Autos we have seen daytime vehicle break-ins at the local parks, gyms and shopping center parking lots. If any Financial Transaction Cards are taken the suspects immediately go to local retail stores and spend as much money as they can. So once you notice that any Financial Cards are missing call and have them canceled/frozen.

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.

If you observe someone breaking into vehicles do not approach them and immediately call 911  from a safe place. Provide the 911 operator with an accurate description of the suspects, involved vehicles, and what direction the suspect is going. NO property is worth getting hurt over.

Package thefts have increased as online shopping has become more popular, especially during the holidays.

Preventing Package Thefts

1. Ship it to work. Keep your package off the porch in the first place. If your company allows, consider shipping your packages to your workplace instead of your home.
2. Enlist a neighbor’s help. Do you have a neighbor or a friend that’s usually home? If so, see if they can wait for your package or keep an eye out for it.
3. Require a signature. Consider requesting a signature for your package to be dropped off. That way, your package won’t be left on your porch exposed to potential thieves.
4. Take advantage of alternative delivery options and alerts. FedEx, the U.S. Postal Service and UPS all have alternative pickup and delivery options available. Visit their websites to explore your options and update your delivery preferences. You can also sign up for delivery alerts to track your package and stay up to date on delivery times.
5. Get technical. Doorbell cameras and other security cameras can be a deterrent to would be thieves and the recorded footage provides suspect and possibly their vehicle descriptions that can be used in developing investigative leads for police if a theft occurs.
6. Keep your porch clear and visible. It may seem counter-intuitive, but if a thief has no place to hide, they’re less likely to take the risk of going up to your porch in the first place.
7. Ask for your box to be nondescript. Ordering from a high-end store? Consider marking the “gift” checkbox when you purchase so the package comes in a plain box. You can also request this of friends and family so your box doesn’t grab attention.
8. Find strength in numbers. Neighborhood groups on social media or community apps like Next door can provide your neighborhood a system for reporting suspicious activity to each other.

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 T.M. Fuller
Det. Sergeant T.J. Richie
Cobb County Police Department
Criminal Investigation Unit Pct. 5
4640 Dallas Highway
Powder Springs, GA 30127
(770) 499-4578