The Dunwoody North neighborhood has had a string of day time burglaries where they break down the front or side door, take the jewelry, flat screens and computers and are gone in under 5 minutes.
The Dunwoody Police Department has stepped up patrols and I have had daily updates from Chief Grogan, therefore I know that the Police Department is doing everything they can. In fact a community meeting is being scheduled for next week (date pending confirmation) so the residents can get a first hand update along with suggestions on how to participate in a Neighborhood Watch program.
For example, you should be a good neighbor by being a nosy neighbor. Watch what happens around you and if something is out of place, call the police by dialing 911.
If there is a car parked on the street that seems out of place or there is anything that just doesn't feel right about something happening in your neighborhood, please call 911.
It is the neighbors together looking out for one another which will make this a safer place to live.
My wife and I recently became some of the latest victims of burglary in Dunwoody. My wife was away from our home a mere three hours during the middle of the day on Monday, August 10 and returned to a destroyed back door. Our computers and some home recording equipment was stolen. The burglars carried our stuff away in one of our bedspreads. During the break-in, our "inside" dogs were let out. (Thanks to a wonderful neighbor they were found safely soon after.) This happened exactly one week after our neighbor across the street had electronics stolen from her property and the same day as another household in our area had items stolen. We found out later that this has gone on for quite some time.
ReplyDeleteThe Dunwoody Police were quick to respond to my wife's call to 911. They investigated the crime thoroughly and are diligently pursuing the thieves. More and more, it is up to us in the community to assist them in the prevention and investigation of crime. A mere hours before the police visited our neighbor across the street last week to take her crime report my wife noticed two men at her doorstep ringing her doorbell. These men were not particularly suspicious in a neighborhood where itinerant labor and service vehicles are commonplace. My wife wishes she could have given a better description to the police but she noticed in passing. She wished she had taken a picture…and this brings me to the point of this e-mail.
I believe there would be some merit in the folks of Dunwoody keeping their cameras handy so that suspicious vehicles and persons can be photographed…
I think this effort would be very helpful to police…photos of persons on property other than their own, photos of vehicles parked on the street and at the end of drive-ways showing their license plates, photos of "walkers" who are not necessarily dressed for walking. For those who are part of the Neighborhood Watch who have volunteered to periodically patrol the camera could be a great way to document suspicious activity. This action can be as aggressive or passive as a citizen wants; that is, if you want, you can make the fact known to the subject that they have been photographed or it can be done through the window. If taken digitally, these pictures can be stored on computers, e-mailed to police, printed out, etc. and could act as a wonderful way to document who is coming and going in our neighborhoods.
It has been very distressing over these last few days. The natural response has been to be hateful about the whole incident. After all, at a minimum I am out my homeowners policy's deductible dollar amount…during a time when we are already running pretty lean at our place. Worse yet, due to the very nature of the crime our personal security has been rattled!
I want to help make our neighborhood safer and if a widespread campaign documenting the "goings-on" would help prevent criminal activity and actually assist the police in catching these folks I am all for it. What a sorry thing to have to deal with in such a wonderful city.
I would encourage everyone that has "calling post" service in their neighborhood to sign up for it. It is an service that sends a recording with alerts of neighborhood crime, child missing, home break in, car theft, etc in the area. I know we have it here in Dunwoody North via I believe Neighborhood Watch. I see activity here picking up here as of late and worry that it will continue, if not get worse towards the holidays. The calling post messages really were frighteningly too regular last year during the holidays.
ReplyDeleteThese thiefs are pretty brazen from what I have heard. I just hope that they dont pick my house on the days when I am in my basement home office working; it would likely be a career if not life ending choice for them. I dont even want to get started as to what would happen if they let my dogs out......