From Decatur PD’s Sgt. Jennifer Ross…
We typically see an increase in residential burglaries between May and July in our community. The Decatur Police Department will be hosting a burglary prevention presentation to provide an accurate overview of trends and methods seen in Decatur, show you what products and methods are available to reinforce common entry points and to provide prevention tips from a former burglar to help you make your home a less desirable target.The following presenters will speak:Sgt. Jennifer S. Ross, Community Information & Education Officer for the Decatur Police Department, will present an overview of burglary trends in Decatur to include location, time frame, methods used by suspects and items targeted.Duncan Cottrell, The Entry Enforcer, will discuss the options for “hardening the target” by reinforcing doorways and windows. Based on his experience as a Home Intrusion Prevention Specialist, Duncan will display and explain contemporary security hardware that is effective but little known. Window security film will be explained and demonstrated.Pastor Stephen O’Neal Howard, Founder of True Visions COG Ministries in DeKalb County, will share his very personal and honest life experience with fueling addiction by committing the crime of burglary. Pastor Howard’s goal is to open the eyes of people like the ones he previously victimized by offering prevention tips from a unique perspective to help homeowners “plug all the holes”.When: Tuesday, April 29, 2014 from 6:30-8:00pmWhere: Decatur Recreation Center, 231 Sycamore Street, Decatur, GA 30030There is NO COST to attend. To reserve a seat for the presentation, please go to https://www.eventbrite.com/e/burglary-prevention-presentation-tickets-11269849423 or contact Sgt. Jennifer S. Ross at 678/553-6613.
This reminds me of my then new wife’s experience a few years back. We had just been married and I was selling my Canton home while she was selling her Spring St. home. We were splitting time between the two places. One afternoon, she returned to her place and noticed a lot of scratches on her door. This alarmed her, so she called the Decatur police. True to form, they arrived within minutes and in force. Two cars brought three officers who were standing on her porch looking at the door and exchanging theories on the marks. “Well, it just doesn’t look like the marks a break-in would make,” said one of the officers. “They look more like scratches.”
As if on cue, a neighborhood stray cat, who had been befriended by a number of folks on the street, sauntered onto the porch, walked up to the door, put his two front feet up under the doorknob and started scratching! Just like that the mystery was solved, the “cat” burglar was identified, and my wife was embarrassed. Everyone had a good laugh.
Yup, that’s the kind of personal service I’ve gotten from our Decatur safety officers. When we had a minor outlet fire, thanks to pressure washers who didn’t protect the outlets, the Decatur firefighters who responded gave us great advice on what to do next. In fact, I think they “advised” my husband on fixing something minor and immediate rather than us having to wait for days in the dark for electrical repair. I know that there’s valid room for improvement in areas that are occasionally mentioned on this blog, but there’s valid room for improvement among us citizens too.
in spite of our recent bout with crime rate alarmism, this anecdote is a far better example of our daily reality. reminds me of the time i called DPD to report my lawn mower had been stolen . . . only to realize, unbeknownst to me, my grass cutting dude had parked it in the crawlspace beneath the house.
life’s hard out here in the leafy jungle.
Anecdote and pat on the back time for Decatur PD:
We got burglarized 5 or 6 years ago during the big ‘flat screen smash & grab’ hullabaloo. Dudes were obviously casing our house, waited til my wife left with the dog at about 10 AM and came in through back door. Alarm went off, DPD was there in 3-4 mins and scoured the neighborhood (maybe w a dog too but cant recall for sure) looking for the culprit.
Didn’t find him at the time, but I was really impressed with the response. Plus, now when I see one of the officers that responded, he says ‘hey I met when we responded to the burglary’…
The DPD then attended a community meeting and told us how to protect ourselves best we can and clarified the law for us as it relates to defending yourself, loved ones or home. Great service!