Neighborhood Watch

DCFW Neighborhood Watch Coordinator

Elizabeth Dang
404-406-0690
eparra33@hotmail.com

Neighborhood Watch Areas

Hold your pointer over the map to reveal the watch area numbers. Click to go to the area captain contact information.

Block Captains

Dunwoody Police Department Information

The Dunwoody Police provides regular information to all local Neighborhood Watch programs as well as a new regular newsletter. For the most recent information, see the Latest News page.

A note from the Dunwoody Police about who to call:

We are unable to dispatch cars from our office. When someone calls our office or headquarters, we either #1. Contact Dekalb 911 to have an officer dispatched, or #2. Contact the supervisor on duty who sends a unit out. Both of these can create an extended delay. We encourage everyone to use 911 when they need an officer.

Here are a few examples of when to call 911:
1.  A suspicious vehicle in the neighborhood. (Residents know what is suspicious in their own neighborhoods) 2.  Suspicious people walking around or unpermitted solicitors.
3.  Damage to property reports. (Officers need to see and investigate the damage to do the report)
4.  Motor vehicle accidents whether they are on private property or the roadway.
5.  Roadway hazards

The non emergency number to Dekalb dispatch is answered by the same 911 call takers. The drawback to the non emergency number is that it can ring once or 100 times before it is answered because it is considered non-priority. We understand that Dunwoody citizens are not used to using 911 or feel they are taking officers away from important calls. If an officer is on a low priority call and a serious call goes out, then he will leave the low priority call to go assist.

There are a lot of big cases solved because of a citizen reporting a suspicious vehicle in their neighborhood, but that call has to be placed to 911 so officers can respond without delay.

Community Relations Officer:
Officer W. Furman
Community Outreach Unit
Dunwoody Police Department
41 Perimeter Center East, Suite 100
Dunwoody, GA 30346
Office: 678.382.6913
Fax: 770.396.4655
william.furman@dunwoodyga.gov
www.dunwoodyga.gov
www.twitter.com/dunwoodypolice
www.facebook.com/dunwoodypolice

Click here for the latest news of crime in our area from your DCFW Neighborhood Watch.

Safety Tips

• Click here for a list of safety tips about the upcoming census, provided by the Dunwoody Police Department.
• Make a list of all of your credit card numbers and the serial numbers from your electronics and other valuables. A lot of burglaries can be solved when the police have a serial number(s) to enter onto GCIC/NCIC.  When or if these items are pawned, pawn shops are required to submit all paperwork to their local police departments to see if they are stolen.  When these items come back stolen, the police will have the individuals information that pawned the item(s).  A property checklist can be downloaded from http://www.usaonwatch.org/pdfs/PersonalProperty.pdf.
• If you are going to be leaving town for any extended period of time (like Spring Break), the Dunwoody Police Department recommends that you call and let them know. The phone number is (678) 382-6900 or you can email Officer Furman (william.furman@dunwoodyga.gov) or Sgt. Carlson (mike.carlson@dunwoodyga.gov) with the dates that you will be gone, any authorized people allowed at your home, any lights that are on timers, any vehicles that should be in the driveway, and emergency contacts. They will place their information on a zone patrol list. The uniform officers will do a periodic drive-by/check of the home while they are gone. They realize this is sensitive information and we suggest you email or call Dunwoody Police DIRECTLY with the information. You may choose to notify others that you trust with the information. This information is kept confidential at the police department and is deleted once it expires/you return home.
• Description of a credit card scam from early Jan. 2009
  If someone calls and asks for any information about your credit card, do not give it to them. In this scam, confirmed on Snopes.com, the scammers are only asking for the 3-digit or 4-digit security code on the back of the card. With just those numbers, they can charge to your card. Click here for details from Snopes.
• From a Sandy Springs crime report:
  • From a report of a residential burglary attempt in Fair Oaks Manor (30328), where someone knocked on a door, asked for someone unknown to the resident, and then left. A neighbor's front door glass was broken by an iron rod, and on that driveway, several items were found that traced a truck driven by the suspect to one stolen in Sandy Springs: "Many times the burglar will knock on the door to see if the resident answers it. They then claim to be lost. This is a GREAT reason to call 911 as soon as you can."
  • From report of a store robbery at 7800 Holcomb Bridge: "Here is a good piece of advice about convenience stores. At night, especially late, make it a habit that before you go in the doors, find out where the clerk is. Many times during a robbery, they’ll put the clerk in the back room or the cooler. The last thing you want to do is walk in on a robbery in progress ... Just take a couple of seconds and do a quick look-see."
• It is actually best NOT to suddenly leave on your outside lights all day. It is more likely to signal to potential thieves that your home is vacant. (But motion sensor or photo cell lights that are on only at night are useful.)
  
• Next time you come home for the night and you put your keys away, think of this: you may already have a security alarm system you are not aware of.
  Start keeping your car keys next to your bed on the night stand when you go to bed at night.  If you think someone is trying to get into your house, or if you hear a noise outside your house press the panic alarm on your car key chain. 
  Test it - it will go off from most everywhere inside your house and will keep honking until your battery runs down or until you reset it with the button on the key fob chain.  It works if you park in your driveway or garage.
  If your car alarm goes off when someone is breaking into your house, odds  are the burglar or rapist won't stick around. After a few seconds all the neighbors will be looking out their windows to see who is out there and no criminal wants that.
  Try yours to make sure it works before you rely on it. Just know that you must press the alarm button again to turn it off. And remember to carry your keys while walking to your car in a parking lot. The alarm can work the same way there.
  
• Google phone number search
  (submitted by former good neighbor Pam Duffy)
  
  Google has implemented a new feature wherein you can type someone's telephone number into the search bar and hit enter and then you will be given a map to their house.
  If a child, single person, ANYONE gives out his/her phone number, someone can actually now look it up to find out where he/she lives. The safety issues are obvious and alarming.
  In order to test whether your phone number is mapped, go to: www.google.com. Type your phone number in the search bar with dashes (ex. 555-555-1212), dashes & no spaces very important, and hit enter. This will divulge your name and address. You will see a link option to the right for a map (click on it), which will use the address to provide a map to your home or place of business.
  If you want to BLOCK Google from divulging your private information, simply click on the phonebook results and go to the phonebook removal form. It takes 48-hours.
  Note: If your number is unlisted in the phone book, you might not be in there, but it is a good idea to check.

Dekalb CrimeTrac

Go to:  http://www.crimemapping.com/map/ga/dekalbcounty

CRIMETRAC is an innovative mapping system designed to give citizens a first hand look at crime statistics in unincorporated DeKalb County. CRIMETRAC is another element of the Department's Interactive Community Policing (ICP) Unit's partnership with the community. Through ICP the Department has engaged citizens in the fight against crime and raised public confidence.

The goal of CRIMETRAC is to reduce the fear of crime through better informed citizenry and improve the quality of life in DeKalb County.

CRIMETRAC is:

• Innovative mapping system for citizens
• Provides accurate and timely crime data in the form of reports and maps
• Informs citizens of activities taking place in their own neighborhoods
• Citizen friendly and easy to use

Crimereports.com

Go to:  crimereports.com

This site lists up to date crime reports and statistics for an area, based on address or zip code. The site relies on reports from local police departments. The Dunwoody and Sandy Springs police departments are active participants, as are several other surrounding cities.

Sex Offender Registry

Go to:  www.dekalbsheriff.org

On the site there are bars over to the left.  Choose SEX OFFENDER REGISTRY. It is self explanatory. You will be able to walk yourself through the steps and enter the information to determine if there is a sex offender in your area.

Family Watchdog

Go to: www.familywatchdog.us

When you visit this site you can enter your address and a map will pop up with your house as the small icon of a house and red, blue, and green dots surrounding your entire neighborhood. When you click on these dots a picture of a person will appear with an address and the description of the crime he or she had committed. 

This site was developed by John Walsh from Americas Most Wanted.  Another tool to help us keep our kids safe.