Camille Chases Off Thieves
Decatur Metro | December 13, 2008Score one for the good guys.
Rus writes in…
Some guys just tried to rob Kaleidoscope but Camille ran them off. The police were there in seconds and Lyn Sawicki and staff as well as Cakes and Ale staff were immediately on hand to help (and looked ready to kick ass!) Last it seemed the robbers were running empty handed away from downtown Decatur.
Nice work Camille! I hope you scared the pants off them!
UPDATE: My wife just came back from Sawicki’s…According to Lynn, two “kids” guys in their 20s went down that strip of Ponce, from Cook’s Warehouse to Heliotrope to Sawickis to Kaleidoscope. And when they got to Kaleidoscope…Camille chased them down the street with a can of pepper spray.
They didn’t get anything from Sawicki’s, but I’m not sure about the others.
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This is one instance where I’m glad DM is coming out in favor of personal attacks ;^)
I don’t want any of our retailers getting hurt but, if there’s a chance to take a scumbag down, I’m fully in favor of them doing so… with extreme prejudice. Go Camile!
Very proud of you Camille! On your lead we are going out and getting some pepper spray too! When our shoppers are looking for trendier outfits, we always send them your way!
Jeff and Greg
Thanks for the support you guys! I’m just sick of these guys trying to take what we as independent, struggling businesses work so hard for! They were not “kids” by the way. They were 2 men in their 20’s. We need to let these people know that we’re not easy marks and we’ve all got our eyes and ears open!
I was in Sawicki’s while the duo evidently staked out the various places. One of them had pretended to go to Lynne’s bathroom but actually sneaked into the kitchen, where he exited and somehow found the door unlocked behind Kaleidoscope. When Lynne went back into the kitchen to get my soup, the guy returned through her back door. Had she not gone back there, we may not have noticed him returning from the kitchen since we were engaged in conversation. The two then walked calmly out the front door. The police found a metal box (like a cash box) that the guys had apparently stolen, but it did not appear to belong to any of the merchants in this block. Is this really a case of “score one for the good guys”? It’s another example of crime occurring in broad daylight with patrons in the stores. They were able to case the joints, so to speak, and escape. Since they were fairly easy to identify (in colorful clothes), they could be scoping out the places on behalf of more serious criminals (OR they may just be young and clueless). It disturbed me that I wanted to call the police early on but stopped myself, not wanting to stereotype and assume the worst. Is this how things may work in this new economy, that we may need to all function vigilante-style? I don’t pretend to have the answers, but I don’t like some of the recent happenings in town.
Lets hear it for the only true Homeland Security.
Awareness and a willingness to do what needs to
be done!
A grand tip of the hat to you Camille
Wow. I don’t like to hear this at all. Very scary and disturbing.
Everyone will have a different reaction to this story when they first see it. After Rus’ original account, mine was admiration of Camille’s fortitude. Her store was taken advantage of once and the next time she was prepared.
After hearing more of the details from Lynne and Carl, the episode is indeed a bit more troubling. But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t applaud the efforts of those that took the initiative to protect themselves and show that Decatur shop owners won’t be easily pushed around.
Ultimately, things like this will probably become a little more frequent with this new, crippled economy. But I believe there is something citizens can do – and it doesn’t require any sort of brazen act.
Decatur needs to fill its open positions on the police force. We need qualified candidates to get us to full capacity. The city has put money into a new ad campaign (including that video I recently posted), but word of mouth is also a priceless commodity. So, I would assert that just like you talk-up Terrific Thursdays, make a point to also talk up the police force in the coming months. You never know when you’ll come across a well-rounded officer looking for a new gig.
I’ll try to find additional stats that you can use too…since these things aren’t all that obvious beyond the general benefits of working in a close-knit community.
I hope nobody took my comment as a criticism of Camille! I was more reacting to the nature of the crime (broad daylight, etc).
No Paula, sorry should have been more clear. I was just ruminating about the questions Carl had posed.
Can any of the witnesses tell us how these guys were dressed? When we were out patronizing our local merchants this afternoon, we saw a pair of suspicious looking guys, but this was much later in the day and up around Brickstore.
Is no one concerned that pepper spray might not stand up very well against a pistol?
How is all the “rah rah, kick some ass” going to be remembered if, in the near future, a merchant is gunned down while taking a vigilante attitude toward a suspect?
If you’re going to confront a perpetrator of robbery, you had better be trained to defend yourself against firearms.
Well heck, I would hope each shop owner could use their own judgment as to how much resistance to put up against a potential thief. But I take your point Bryan…and since I first wrote the post in immediate reaction to the event, it now makes me a bit uncomfortable.
Perhaps an alteration is in order.
But perhaps not, DM.
Yes, you’re more accurate now, and have removed any sense of cowboy justice — lest you be perceived as egging on reckless vigilanteism, as Bryan suggests — but I think the way you wrote it initially captured something important: There is a growing sense of helplessness being felt around here, as increasing reports of local robberies take center stage. No one likes feeling like a victim, but that’s what these kind of stories do. So, when we hear about someone like Camille refusing to take it anymore, it strikes a real chord and I think that budding sense of relief was evident in your original header.
Two years from now, someone stumbling on this post won’t see it as the pivotal act I think it was (or at least felt like). I don’t care if she shoo’d them away, Mace’d ‘em, blew their heads off or stabbed ‘em with a machete. To me, it still feels Camille kicked some ass. And that feels kind of good right now.
So, will local merchants start offering pepper spray holders with the City of Decatur logos on them?
I also tip my hat to Camille. It’s very easy for me to sit here and have ‘keyboard courage’ but to actually do something takes real courage.
Is there no update from DPD on the status of these (attempted) crimes? They seem to be accelerating and I wonder if it is the same crew that is perpetrating them or if new perps are finding out that downtown Decatur is an easy target and more people are getting into the game.
For those of you better in the know and who have seen these perpetrators, could you tell us if there is a pattern to watch out for? I know that the media and police don’t like to profile but at some point if you know that trouble is caused by groups of young, white skateboarders, it would be useful to know that this group may be trouble and best to avoid them. Can anyone provide insight?
I don’t think there is a perception that downtown Decatur is a easy target. On the contrary, I believe the seasoned criminal element know the reputation of Decatur for community involvement and quick police response. Less experienced criminals may think that is an easy target, but actions such as the ones described and a greater awareness by merchants and the community will cause them to take their (criminal) business elsewhere.
As for patterns, if you see anything that looks suspicious, call. Even if it turns out to be nothing this time, next time it might.
Hint: on a cell phone, use the Decatur Police non-emergency number 404-373-6551. That avoids an issue of a 911 cell phone signal going to the wrong agency and having to be transferred. That number is answered by the same people who answer Decatur 911. I have it programmed into one of my cell phone hotkeys.
The Decatur Police web site has a helpful page on crime prevention, as well as how best to react if you’re a victim of a crime.
http://decaturga.com/cgs_citysvcs_pspolice_crimeprevention.aspx
Here’s the bit on robbery:
Robbery Prevention
Cooperate with the robber – do exactly as you are told, do not argue, do not move too quickly or reach for anything.
Keep it short and smooth – the longer the robbery takes, the more nervous the robber is. The average robbery takes less than two minutes.
Don’t resist – don’t fight, use weapons or chase the robbers.
Be observant – observe the person(s) involved for the purpose of describing clothing and physical features. Observe the means of escape, direction of travel and description of vehicle.
Call Police (911) after the robbery – stay on the phone until police tell you to hang up; record the suspect(s) description on a piece of paper.
Protect the crime scene – don’t touch anything in case the suspect left fingerprints or other physical evidence crucial to the investigation.
Steve, they fixed the problem last year with some Decatur 911 calls going to DeKalb. DPD recommends using the non-emergency number for just that purpose and encourages serious calls to go via 911 as they are prioritized (and have the potential to deliver location information). If anyone feels strongly about making a completely anonymous call, s/he can do so by blocking caller ID and dialing the non-emergency number.
I just wanted to respond to some of the other comments posted and to clarify that I in NO WAY was trying to be a hero. I don’t recommend anyone else doing what I did. I, however, do think that the more WE as a community let these perpetrators know that we’re not going to allow these things to happen, we put a very valuable message out there. The cashbox found in the bathroom came out of MY safe and that was a complete violation to me. The confrontation I had with the men were in the presence of about 10 people, so I felt more secure about having it. Plus, I was really pissed off!!! I just want them to think twice about coming to Decatur to steal. BTW, the pepper spray holders sound like a good idea…….:)
Carl, I know what they have said, but I still don’t trust that, even in Decatur, especially on the edges, you’ll get a cell tower that gives you Decatur 911 first. I know they prioritize and answer 911 before the other number, but I’ll never had any delay at all when calling the non-emergency number.
Here we are again–discussing yet another robbery at a time when family and people are out supporting the down town. I am sorry but I am starting to wonder why the suspects are not getting caught and would there be incidences like this if people were “scared” of Decatur police–if we had such great police then these things probably would not occur so often…
Criminals would know not to touch Decatur–the cops will get you…
???
Charlie, I have been on the downtown streets the last three Terrific Thursday evenings until after the stores were closed. The fact that I have seen many families, couples and groups there tells me that folks aren’t scared to come downtown. The stores were crowded.
I’m puzzled by your “yet another robbery” statement. Such incidents are rare in Decatur, which may be why we’re focused so much on the ones that do occur. Compare the crime rate in Decatur for any category and you’ll see that it’s about the lowest around.
The Decatur police are among the most professional and dedicated around. The criminals do try to stay away because of things like quick response time. Perhaps you’d like to try DeKalb County sometime and see what kind of response you get…
Agnes Scott police sent around an email on Friday (12/12) about two vehicles stolen from campus. Today they sent an update:
Both vehicles in the aforementioned email have been recovered. In recent weeks the metro area has seen a sharp increase in property crimes. This is somewhat predictable around the holiday season. Of the vehicles stolen recently, many have been Dodge or Chrysler products that do not have any type of anti-theft system. The two vehicles stolen from campus were a Dodge Stratus and Chrysler Breeze. We also know of other off-campus incidents where similar make and model vehicles were stolen or an attempt was made towards their theft. These particular makes are easier to steal and are often taken for their catalytic converters or for simple joyriding.