DCFW: Latest News of Crime in Our Area

Latest News of Crime in our Area

Information from Your DCFW Neighborhood Watch

From a neighbor in an adjoining neighborhood
September 2, 2009

I was at the Chinese restaurant dining w/ 2 other family members [ YSE on DV&nb sp;Parkway] last nite when we noticed 2 suspicious tall black males walk in around 7:30 PM & go to the managers office when she [the manager] was back in the kitchen.

We alerted the staff to the incident & surprised a robbery/theft in progress. The b/m's immediately ran out the door w/ unknown valuables & CC but we got a description of their vehicle & called 911 ASAP. They were driving a possibly stolen late model large SUV dark red w/ drive out dealer tags & saw them head west on Mt Vernon.

The Dunwoody police came w/ in 2-3 minutes & interviewed all of us. I do not know if these guys have been caught or not. Please do not publish my name but felt this was important for the neighbors to know. Heads up as we will not be safe until these creeps are out of our area & sitting in jail. Kudos to the DPB & their quick professional response!!

From the Dunwoody Police
August 18, 2009

I would like to pass on some good news.

We have received a lot of inquiries about the rash of burglaries that have been occurring throughout the city. I have been disseminating information since they have started, and our department has worked tirelessly to solve them.

One of our residents with neighborhood watch gave us a partial license plate of a black sport utility vehicle that was seen in the area. We passed this information on to our surrounding agencies since they were having similar burglaries. The Dekalb County Police Department stopped this suspect vehicle last week and detained the driver and passenger. They immediately informed our detective division and the suspects were questioned.

As of today, these two have been linked to one of the burglaries in the Dunwoody North area. Our detectives are still investigating the multiple crimes to see if they are connected with the others. They are currently detained at the Dekalb County Jail. They are still possibly looking for a third suspect.

I would like to express the importance of Neighborhood Watch and the effectiveness it has shown. This is only one example of the police and citizens working together to make our city safer. I would like to thank all of the coordinators and block captains for donating their time and effort towards this goal. We will continue to share information with all of you and keep you updated on our progress.

Please remain attentive of your surroundings and community. Do not become complacent because these two were captured. I feel this is a huge success, but we still need to watch out for each other.

From the Dunwoody Police
August 17, 2009

Most of you already heard about an individual that began fondling himself to one of our residents out jogging. If you see anyone matching the description below, please call 911 immediately.

The victim quoted this: At Tilly Mill a bright yellow car (sporty looking) with a white heavy set bald male driver let me cross even though he had a green light. I kept going on Womack and saw the car drive past me. When I approached the entrance to Dunwoody Elementary (the new school) I saw the car in the first driveway. I almost ran all the way across the intersection without stopping because I couldn't hear what he was saying because of my music, but he waved his GPS and I took off an earphone and he said "I can't figure this out" so I took a step towards the car and found him completely exposed and playing with himself.

There was possibly a Florida tag on that suspect's yellow car.

We also had another female that was possibly followed. An old, white, full sized van with pin stripes began following a female in the Meadowcreek Drive area. The van was occupied with two males. There was no contact made, but she explained that the van was acting suspicious by following her down several streets.

Officer Furman included “jogger tips” in his last newsletter. We suggest that you carry a cell phone so you can call 911 immediately in case of circumstances like these.

From the Dunwoody Police
August 4, 2009

Today’s Burglaries:
Both occurred around 1130

1st- N. Peachtree Rd: had an alarm, we responded within 5 minutes of dispatch receiving the alarm. The perpetrators only had time to get a flat screen TV.

2nd- Riverglenn Dr: no alarm, 3 old laptops, a small flat screen TV and a directTV receiver were taken.
Both had a door kicked in.

A black GMC SUV with partial tag 518 driven by a black male was seen in the area by another resident and is probably the perpetrator from these burglaries.

When I have further information, I will pass it on!! If you see this SUV, call 911, not your NW coordinator or me!! We need to catch this individual(s).

From the Sandy Springs Police
July 31, 2009

This person has worked the area of Lake Hearn in the past. For those of you in office areas, please keep this photo. We have warrants on him and would like to see him in jail.

Click here to view the BOLO announcement from the Sandy Springs Police.

From the Dunwoody Police
July 24, 2009

We had two entering autos at the 4745 Ashford Dunwoody Road last night between 6&7 (briefcase and gameboy). We also had an entering auto at 4355 Ashford Dunwoody Road (GPS).

In reference to the burglaries: I spoke with Sandy Springs PD yesterday. They had approximately 10 burglaries the other day, possibly same crew. I have received several e-mails recently about suspicious autos and people. Please understand that I appreciate the information, but you need to call 911 as it is happening. Officer Furman and I have sent out numerous e-mails about what to do when you see a suspicious person or automobile. I will pass on this information, but these people need to be identified immediately! Once again, thanks for all you are doing. The information is extremely helpful and has been passed on to our detectives and patrol divisions. I will keep you informed if we have anymore updates!

From the Dunwoody Police
July 23, 2009

Just a follow up on yesterdays burglaries. They occurred between 7AM to 2PM. The suspect(s) initially knocked on a residents door and asked if they could landscape her yard. She became suspicious when they did not have any landscape equipment. They were obviously casing the house. All of them had pry marks on the back doors, and once again, flat screen T.V’s were the item of choice. Please keep a look out for the vehicle description I gave out yesterday. Call 911 if you see it riding around your neighborhood.

NW Coordinators- All of you are doing a fantastic job with disseminating information to your communities. On a side note, I am receiving a ton of e-mails from individuals inside your communities. Please express the importance of going through the coordinators so I can get timely information back to you. I will keep you informed if we locate anything!!

From a neighboring Neighborhood Watch coordinator
July 23, 2009

Just look for a red VW with license tag ending in TD please and call 911*

This morning at 10:15am a red VW Jetta (late 90's model) was parked in front of a home in the 2500 block of Fontainebleau Dr, the occupant was a black male, slender face, wearing a Jamaican knit cap, appx 33-38 years old. As I pulled up to inquire if he needed assistance he took off, I was able to report his Tag # to the 911 operator as I followed him up Happy Hollow to Peeler, (4 numbers and it ended in TD......ok, I didn't write it down but the police have it, a valuable lesson for me......lol....!!!) I met the Dunwoody Police Dept at the home of where he had been in front of concerned that someone had been dropped off to go inside, also this particular home has been burglarized recently.

If you see this vehicle and person of interest please call the Dunwoody Police Dept @ 911.

Also, I have confirmed with the homeowner that nobody should have been there.

From the Dunwoody Police
July 23, 2009

I have had several Officers ask me to send this email out. Citizens are telling Officers of stories about them approaching suspicious vehicles in their neighborhoods. PLEASE inform all of your residents to NEVER approach a suspicious vehicle and try to make contact with the occupants. This is a VERY DANGEROUS situation. If a suspect does not want to be caught or identified, then they are usually willing to take drastic steps to escape, including hurting anyone they have to. Our best scenario is for a citizen to spot a suspicious vehicle, contact 911, and stay on the line so they can provide continuous updates to the responding Officers. This keeps the citizen out of harms way and allows us the element of surprise while approaching them. If a citizen waits until a vehicle is gone to call 911 then the chances of finding that vehicle later are almost 0.

So please remember:
#1. NEVER approach a suspicious auto
#2. Always call 911 immediately
#3. Try to stay online with 911 to provide updates
#4. Give a good description of the vehicle: make, model, color, description of occupants, tag number, any identifying marks or damage, etc (the more detail the better)

If anyone has any questions please feel free to contact me.

Thanks,
Officer W. Furman
Community Outreach Unit
Dunwoody Police Department
41 Perimeter Center East, Suite 100
Dunwoody, GA 30346
Office: 678.382.6913 20Fax: 770.396.4655

From the Dunwoody Police
July 22, 2009

We just had an attempted burglary today at the 4800 block of Ashford Club Drive. The lookout is as follows: Two black males- We only have a description of one. He is in his early 20’s, approximately 6’00”, medium build, and medium complexion. He was wearing a white t-shirt and khaki pants. There was a tattoo of a name on the right side of his neck. They were last seen driving a late 90’s champagne minivan. The male attempted to kick in the back door, but the resident was home and the alarm sounded. They fled the area. If you see anyone matching this description, call 911 immediately.

Also, our detectives just caught the individual conducting the Comcast scams. You can cancel the lookout for the burgundy Camry. Thanks!!

From the Dunwoody Police
July 22, 2009

There was another burglary today with the same “method of operation”. There are pry marks on the back doors of both victims. This burglary occurred on Forest Springs Court off Mt. Vernon. It occurred between the hours of 0830 and 1300.

From the Dunwoody Police
July 22, 2009

We had another burglary reported, possibly same individuals. This burglary occurred on Sirron Court off of Chamblee Dunwoody Road. I had a resident call in possibly seeing the van entering the area of Ashford Club Drive with the burglary I reported earlier. Of course, these incidents are in the same vicinity. A flat screen T.V. was taken from this res idence. Please call in if you see anything suspicious, especially this van driving around your neighborhood that is occupied with multiple black males.

Late 90’s model minivan (possibly champagne colored).

From the Dunwoody Police
July 21, 2009

Last night, one of our officers arrested an individual breaking into cars at one of our apartment complexes. These individuals were professionals with the equipment they were in possession with. Anyway, it was a good bust for our night shift officers! This is still under investigation, so I am releasing limited information.

The American flag and flag holder at the Redfield subdivision has been stolen several times. A ladder is needed to take this flag…If you have any information about this theft, please notify the Dunwoody Police.

An entering auto was reported in the parking deck behind Taco Mac. Another laptop was taken along with misc. items.

We have received an overwhelming response for zone patrols while residents are on vacation. Please understand that our call volume is extremely high, and the shift officers will check them as time allows. Please understand that our officers will do their best to zone patrol!!

From the Dunwoody Police
July 19, 2009

Detectives are working a theft of service involving COMCAST cable. The perpetrator is identified as a b/m, age late 20-early 30, 506, 170 lbs., driving a 2000-2005 maroon/red Toyota Camry. He has been distributing flyers advertising cable service. He has customers cancel their present account (usually Comcast) and sells them ‘his’ service. All he does is go to the utility box and tap into someone else’s cable. He has sold service to residents at Broadstone apartments.

We had a burglary on Valley View Drive earlier this week. Two plasma televisions were taken along with some jewelry. Forced entry was made on a front window using a pry bar.

We had a purse taken from an unlocked car at Brook Run. Due to recent entering autos, please leave all valuables at your house or keep them on you.

We have had some recent “scamming” issues throughout the city. Notify us if you do not feel it is a legitimate charity, or if they are in violation of our solicitor ordinance. Remember, solicitors must have a COD identification card. This excludes solicitation for charitable, political, or other nonprofit purposes provided that all sales proceeds are the property of and used by the nonprofit organization.

From a neighboring Neighborhood Watch coordinator
July 5, 2009

Please just keep your eyes open for ANYONE trying to sell you on cleaning gutters (since that seems to be the most prevalent) who does not have sufficient business info for you before you hire them ... He goes for older folks usually and convinces them they need something done... the vulnerable is who he looks for. Very nice too, by the way; the convincing sort...

My parents were the victims of of a probable fraud. Two men and a younger boy all of whom appeared to be Hispanic talks my father into cleaning the gutters, which I cleaned not long ago after all the pollen, and applying some "sealant" of questionable origin. I suspect water. Fortunately some family members arrived and still they got 100$ after requesting $1400 and being rebuffed by my mother, they asked what the job was worth and took the 100$ left quickly, covering the license plate with something. They were in a 3-4 year old white Dodge Dakota. Dunwoody Police have been called but unfortunately this occurred about 2pm and I just got them to call. Be aware.....

Here's an incident from North Wellington, off Mt Vernon between Manhasset/Vermack and Mt Vernon Way from one of our neighbors
May 4, 2009

On Wednesday morning, April 29, before 9am, someone tried to break into the front door of our house. They drilled into the trim of one of the front doors, but heard [my husband] and/or the dogs in the house and got scared away. Dunwoody police came and explained that the criminals come to the front door and give the appearance that they are service people doing work on the house. They remove the trim from glass entryways and try to reach their hands up into the inside to test for alarm systems. The officer also advised that we should get or activate our existing alarm system--24/7 monitoring. Fortunately, other than the one drill hole, no other damage was done.

I researched the local alarm monitoring services and whether you have an alarm system that is not being monitored or need one installed, Ackerman Security was the best value. They were able to reactivate our Brinks security system and can also work with ADT and other alarm systems. Cellular back-up is also available for those without landlines.

I emailed Dunwoody Police Department and they will increase patrols in our area for the next 30 days. The response from the DPD was excellent.

Keep an eye out for strangers in the neighborhood, and advise your neighbors of any workers that you will have on your property. That way, if you haven't advised anyone to the contrary, all strangers can be assumed to be potential criminals and a call to the police is advised....better safe than sorry.

Purse Stolen From Car While Pumping Gas at the Dunwoody BP
24 Feb 2009

Ladies Beware! I was at the BP Station on the corner of Chamblee Dunwoody and Mt Vernon when my purse was stolen right out of the passenger seat in my car. I was putting the nozzle in my tank, not even 1/2 a minute passed until I opened my car door to sit back inside while it filled up when one of my children said, very calmly, "Mom, someone just stole your purse". I looked up and sure enough, a light blue mini-van with Florida tags was peeling out of the parking lot onto Chamblee Dunwoody Road.

The scariest part of all, my three children in the car at the time. Lock your doors while pumping gas, especially if you have precious cargo inside.

Thankfully, [name removed] remained calm and didn't shout because quite frankly he was frightened, but I praised him for remaining calm. Something much worse might have happened. He said the person who stole it crouched way down, quietly opened the passenger side door and grabbed my purse, then made a run for it back to his car, where he said there were about 6 other passengers inside.

FYI, most places have security cameras. Unfortunately for me, they escaped detection, but for the next person who this happens to perhaps they won't.

BE SAFE

Purse Snatching in Dunwoody
1 May 2008

Ladies, I thought I would share what happened to me last night. I had a lovely meal with 5 girlfriends at a Park Place restaurant. We had paid the check (with a credit card which I then put back in my wallet). We finished our coffees and I reached for my purse as we said goodnight to each other and discovered it was gone. There were six of us, and my purse was near my feet between two of us.

The restaurant and police reviewed the security tapes and this is what happened. One 40-ish well-dressed gentleman kicked my purse away from my feet, the next guy stepped over it, a lady behind kicked it to the side, and then a 4th person, another female, stopped to pick it up and they were gone. I realized pretty quickly and called my husband to stop all the cards. They had already charged $800 at Wal mart and $1000 at Target (as you know, both of these stores are very close by). This happened well within 30 mins. There were six of us and not one of us saw it happen. The restaurant staff couldn't believe it. I feel that I just taken part in a 60 Minutes episode. This just doesn't happen in Dunwoody! They probably don't even appreciate what they got... a brand new Coach purse that I bought at spring break and a coach wallet. Please be aware of your surroundings. I know we hear it all the time – now I know what they mean.

Eleanor Geddes

Sandy Springs News

The Sandy Springs Police department puts out a weekly crime update written by Lieutenant Steve Rose (of the View From the Cop AJC blog). It usually contains very good information about crime in our area and some useful tips, presented in Lieutenant Rose's unique style. Reports that are of particular interest to DCFW are posted below. These documents are in Adobe PDF format.

Dekalb County News (January 2008 - March 2009)

The following files are Adobe PDF documents provided by the DeKalb Police North Precinct Business Relations Unit. The documents provide information for the call activity in our area.

Documents provided by:

Al Fowler
Public Education Specialist
DKPD NP
Office: 404-294-2858
Fax: 404-297-3863
alfowler@co.dekalb.ga.us
dkpdcommrel@yahoo.com