And that’s not all you can touch!  From 231 Sycamore…(note the location change)

Come out and join the fun at Decatur’s annual Touch a Truck Day on Saturday, March 20, 10 a.m.-1 p.m. The event has been so popular and drawn such a crowd that it has been moved to the Callaway building parking lot, 120 W. Trinity Place.

Children of all ages can see, touch, and explore their favorite truck or equipment on wheels. A City of Decatur fire truck, dump trucks, tractors, police cars, motorcycles, bicycles, and many other vehicles will be on display. For information, please contact Greg White, 404-377-0494, or greg.white@decaturga.com.

I eagerly await hearing those far-off, oddly inconsistent siren durations from my front steps!

(“Oh no!  Did the town wino steal a police car?  Oh no wait, it’s only Touch a Truck Day!”)

After much recent noise – on both this site and around the community – the Decatur City Commission added new details to the city’s booting ordinance at its meeting last night.  These amendments look to deal with “issues of interpretation of certain portions of the ordinance in regards to signage placement and visibility.”

Here’s a summary of the four “amendments” (page 19 of the supplemental materials) suggested by the Decatur Police Department (by way of City Manager Peggy Merriss) and approved by the commission…

First, we want to address the issue of placing signs at both the entrance and exit to the parking deck so that persons who may not have seen the signs are given warning as the leave the lot as a pedestrian.  This should give the parker ample notice to return to their vehicle and either pay for the parking or remove their car.

Second, we want to make sure that the sign sare visible from each parking space so that parkers are also given notice when they pull into a space.  Previously this section was undefined and we were having difficulty enforcing a consistent standard.

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Andisheh snapped this pic – whilst levitating I can only assume – of a car “stuck” on the train tracks running through Decatur.  He reports that the car has since been moved from the scene.

I’ve contacted Decatur PD to see if they can provide any background on HOW a car could possibly end up sitting on the tracks like that.

Around 3:20pm, Daren reported…

Not sure what it is, but every cop car in Decatur just blazed down S. Candler. They were moving very fast, considering conditions.

Maybe 10 minutes ago.

Deputy Chief Keith Lee replied to DM with the details…

We received a report from a resident on South Candler that they returned home and found their home burglarized. The homeowner believed the suspect was still in the house, so it was dispatched as a burglary in progress. Responding officers searched the residence, but the suspect was not present. The home had been burglarized.

WSB has a new video report on the tornado siren vandalism, which took place at Winnona Park Elementary last week.

According to WSB, the graffiti in the parking lot reads “Siren is EMC boondoggle.  Who is responsible?”

Decatur Police Chief Mike Booker states there are currently no leads in the case.

h/t: InDecatur

Diane forwards this note sent to the Decatur High School community from principal Lauri McKain-Fernandez…

I want to alert you to an issue that took place at school today. Shortly after 10am, it was brought to the administration’s attention that a student was in possession of a gun. Along with the School Resource Officer, I went to the classroom to get the student and did find a firearm. It was not loaded, and though I don’t believe our student body was ever in danger, I do think it is important that you are all aware that this took place. I wanted to be sure that you all heard about this issue directly from me. We have worked on investigating throughout the day and do not have any reason to believe that any of our students were in direct danger. Regardless, this is a serious and difficult issue to deal with as a school community. As always, the Decatur Police Department was very responsive and supportive in this matter.

Thank you for your ongoing support.

Dave Kell tweeted earlier that the Decatur First Bank branch at the “lil’ Kroger” on Commerce Drive had been robbed around 5p this evening.

Deputy Chief Keith Lee was quick to respond to my inquiry with details and news that the perps have already been arrested.

We were notified of an armed robbery of the Decatur First Bank branch at Kroger this afternoon. Two suspects were stopped a few minutes later on Church Street. Evidence recovered during the stop established probable cause the two suspects were involved in the robbery. Both suspects are in custody at this time and the investigation is continuing.

Hats-off to DPD!!!

Decatur PD’s Juanchella Francis just sent this note out to the community…

The City of Decatur Police Department wishes to advise residents about a recent increase in residential burglaries occurring in the southern portion of the city. Since January 14, 2010 four burglaries of residences have been reported to the Decatur Police Department. Each of these incidents have occurred after 8:00 PM. In three of the incidents the residences were vacant, but a resident was home during the fourth incident. In the fourth incident the suspect fled without entering the residence, once the homeowner made her presence known. In that incident the resident stated she heard someone knock on her door, but did not answer and shortly thereafter the suspect attempted to enter through a rear window. It is surmised the suspect thought the residence was not occupied when he/she did not receive a response at the front door.

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Cheers to the Decatur Police Department for putting out this informative chart, which not only compares the 2009 crime rate to previous years, but also the percentage of cases cleared, and a breakout of “crimes against persons” vs. “crimes against property”.

For all the talk surrounding crimes against property this past year (recap: “It was the economy!” “No it wasn’t!”), it’s interesting to see a decline in that column vs. 2008.  Not so good that crimes against persons increased, but nice to see that DPD increased it’s cleared rate in that category by 14 whole points!

UPDATE: From Decatur PD’s Assistant Chief Keith Lee…

Officers responded to the Wahoo Grill in reference to a reported bomb threat. Decatur Fire Department, and both MARTA Police and DeKalb County Police K-9/explosive disposal units were notified and advised of the incident. The business was evacuated and Decatur police officers along with staff members conducted a search of the restaurant with negative results. The scene was released to the management without further action.

Ed writes in…

FYI – someone called in a bomb threat to the Wahoo Grill around 130 pm on Sunday while my wife and I were having brunch. I really appreciate the calm way Wahoo’s management handled the situation. Unfortunately they had to clear the restaurant. The Decatur police were arriving as we left.

I’m trying to get my hands on some more details. Stay tuned.