Comments on: Attempted Burglary Has Decatur Police Running Through Streets

By: Joe

Joe — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 18:56:40 +0000

there was a problem a few summers ago where cars parked on streets that ran from ponce to w howard in the lenox place neighborhood were getting broken into. after talking to a decatur cop one day about it, i was told they believed the smash and grabs were people getting off the bus at ponce/drexel and walking up the street checking door handles on the way to w howard then then the bus stops/ east lake train station. they only grabbed items small enough to put in backpacks and kept walking. If i remember correctly they may have caught one of them.

By: CSD Mom

CSD Mom — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 14:53:38 +0000

Of course. But the repetition of walking to class day after day after day, getting to know the neighborhood and seeing people coming in and out of doors, makes casing much easier! Our perp more than likely walked away, given he emptied my husband’s large soccer duffel and proceeded to stuff whatever he could into it, and didn’t take anything bigger.

By: chira

chira — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 14:48:39 +0000

You can’t case houses in a neighborhood from a car?

By: CSD Mom

CSD Mom — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 14:46:21 +0000

We had a break-in (on Sycamore) a few years ago, and our police detective specifically said the MARTA and DeVry foot traffic was a big problem because perps had plenty of opportunity to case houses. Our house was obviously cased because the break-in occurred during the couple of hours I was gone to work between 9-11 a.m. DeVry is no longer an issue though!

By: chira

chira — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 14:30:17 +0000

“a stranger walking” … how SCARY that image is! If a stranger drives by in a CAR, it wouldn’t be SCARY!

By: Ridgelandistan

Ridgelandistan — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 12:55:09 +0000

I was going to jump on JoeBlow’s comment but dang if he doesn’t have a point. It’s not like MARTA is the vector for criminal activity but the corridor between the two stations flanked by the busy Ponce thouroghfare provides cover for would-be burglars to case the homes on that particular block. A stranger walking along Sycamore is just not going to arouse the same suspicion as a stranger walking along Glenn Circle. Geez, I just made a point for gated communities and against public transport. I feel so dirty…

By: Brianc

Brianc — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 11:50:47 +0000

Marta is one of the worst getaways; they can simply stop the train.

By: chira

chira — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 11:43:55 +0000

Repeatedly equating MARTA presence and customers with criminal activity is sooooooo tiresome. I ride MARTA all the time and I see people with their lunch sacks, iPods, dressed for work, carrying backpacks full of books, mothers with children and some in strollers, handicapped and elderly folks — just NORMAL PEOPLE. I have never in all of my almost 70 years seen anyone carrying anything on a bus or subway that even remotely looks like a TV or other desirable theft items. Where does all of this fear factor come from? Soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
tired of this MARTA bashing! Yeah, go look at the license plates in the MARTA parking lots near the perimeter. And don’t forget to beg for a ride or take a $40 taxi ride the next time you go to the airport!