@AJC identifies four Dunwoody apartment complexes among the 272 most Dangerous Dwellings in the metro area. @bridgeinvgrp @TheSterlingGrp @TrinityPmTweets @RelatedCos @GAA_Tweets

The Atlanta Journal Constitution has had a year long investigative report on Dangerous Apartment Complexes in the Atlanta metropolitan area and this week they released their list of the 272 most dangerous apartment complexes.  Unfortunately the City of Dunwoody had four complexes listed in the report and they were listed because of crime risk, murders, code enforcement compliance issues, fire risks, and because a gas explosion leveled a building.

The series is well written as it shows the pitfalls of being a renter in a State where leases favor the owner and the lessee has little legal ramifications without bringing suit. It describes the lack of code enforcement in some jurisdictions and no minimum State standards requiring owners to maintain their rental properties, much less to keep them decent, safe or habitable.  The series highlights complexes that are Unsafe, Unhealthy, and Unlivable because of lack of regular maintenance and crime that happens in these areas.  

I will admit that Dunwoody has a few complexes with questionable reputations but crime has taken place in every complex in town but the Dunwoody Police Department is aware of criminal hot spots and is monitoring issues with both patrols, cameras and other technology.  The residents living in these complexes are hard working families with children living in the most affordable lodging they can find, in a school system that will offer their children a better opportunity then their parents had.  Much of the crime (and murders) happen because of outsiders traveling into the complex that are up to no good.  Dunwoody Police's manpower issues are improving and City Council continues to invest in our Department which hopefully is providing proper coverage ensuring everyone a safe place to live.

Dunwoody seems to be doing better that some other jurisdictions on code compliance oversight as in 2010, just two years into incorporation we set minimum standards, visited every apartment complex to educate management as to expectations and law; then we started to code compliance sweeps bringing them into compliance.  This year, we just increased the staffing level from two code enforcement officers to three in order to escalate the frequencies of these apartment inspections.

The Dunwoody City Council believes that every resident living within our borders should have a safe and livable home therefore our Multi-Family Code Compliance program does a regular comprehensive inspections (both exterior by City Staff & interior by certified inspectors) to evaluate code and life safety compliance.

City Council reviews the findings of Apartment Sweep's as completed by our code enforcement staff and I won't attach it in this blog post in case there is on going enforcement matter related to the report, but one of the complexes above had two code enforcement specialists there for close to a week and the final report is 90 pages long, 11 Mb in size with numerous code compliance issues documented with photos. The violations identified were cited and required to be repaired with our code enforcement following up with citations to be handled by Dunwoody Municipal Judges if issues were not corrected in a timely manner.  We do this to every apartment complex in the city limits, no matter the age, demographics or price point.

About a month ago, the City Council was provided a briefing by Code Compliance which highlights our apartment sweep program, vacant property maintenance, and short-term rental enforcement.

Code Enforcement Introduction and Overview (Shane Peeples)

I questioned whether I wanted to post this story, whether I wanted to name the complexes named (as there are others I am also concerned about) but in the end it is about transparency and self corrective behavior.  I want better oversight from the owners (that is why I tagged them in the title for Twitter to notify them of this post).  I want self reflection from the City of Dunwoody Administration both Police, Code Enforcement and City Council to ask what more could we be doing.  Finally I would like the State Legislature to review the laws that sometimes allow anonymous LLC's to take advantage of the most vulnerable segment of our society.  

I am hopeful that the issues identified at troublesome apartment complexes are addressed & the quality of life improves as no one deserves to live in an Unsafe, Unhealthy, and Unlivable apartment complex.

John

PS: I am still not endorsed by the Atlanta Board of Realtors or any other trade organization.

Dunwoody Glen
6800, 6750 and 6806 Peachtree Industrial, Dunwoody

Dunwoody Village
2311, 2313 and 2325 Dunwoody Crossing, Dunwoody

LaCota Apartments
6664 Peachtree Industrial Blvd. and other addresses from 6646-6698, Dunwoody

The Heights at Dunwoody, formerly Arrive Perimeter
2000 Asbury Square, Dunwoody

• Part 1: Unsafe. Unhealthy. Unlivable.
  • Interactive: A Violent Week
• Part 2: Making Money From Misery
  • Photo Essay: On The Brink
• Part 3: Tenants Beware
  • Explained: Anatomy Of A Lease
• Part 4: Outmatched and Overwhelmed
  • Code Enforcement: Disarray in DeKalb
  • Tax Dollars for 'Death Trap'
• Part 5: Introducing the AJC's List
  • Interactive list: Dangerous Complexes
  • Methodology: Creating the List
• About this investigation
  

AJC’s Politically Georgia podcast, host Greg Bluestein is joined by the reporters Alan Judd and Willoughby Mariano, who led the Dangerous Dwellings investigation.  They discussed how this project got started, what thye found, and potential laws that could improve the situation.

Recent Burglaries in Dunwoody are under investigation.

This week two Dunwoody North homes were burglarized when the offenders kicked in the door leading into the home from the carport.  These brazen day time attacks happened soon after the resident departed the home, which may mean that the perpetrators were watching the vehicles at home to make sure no one was there during the robbery.  In today's robbery, the resident returned home within 20 minutes and very easily could have easily walked into crime happening, luckily for all involved, that did not happen. 

The Dunwoody Police are well aware of the facts of the case, setting up addional patrols and have posted crime reduction suggestions on Facebook.  They will also be attending a special called meeting of the Dunwoody North Civic Association, Neighborhood Watch to answer questions and share information with the community.  My neighborhood is rather tight-knit, and we are working closely with the police department to help solve these crimes.

The Dunwoody Police has not released any other information publicly on the case and neither will I. 

I do know that a great deal of information has been shared on private facebook groups.  As my information is pushed far beyond closed neighborhood groups, I will defer to the Dunwoody Police Department on what they want to share.

What I can tell you is that internet camera sales will be rocketing in my little community!  There are two versions, the hard wired high definition cameras out side that are meant to see and be seen; then there are the small wi-fi recorded devices.   Both have pros and cons.  I personally use and recommend the low-cost WYZE cameras in my garage and reviewing all external doors but I believe I will be looking into hard wiring a set of external cameras in the near future as the quality is exceptional.

Some of the names of the wi-fi cameras mentioned by neighbors or devices I know in use locally are...

https://www.wyze.com

http://yitechnology.com

https://www.arlo.com/en-us/default.aspx

https://shop.ring.com/products/door-view-cam

Nest Cams

What security items do you use? 

City of Dunwoody - 2018 Annual Report of Crime Statistics and so much more!

2018 Annual Report

Dear Citizens of Dunwoody,

Welcome to the Dunwoody Police Department’s 2018 Annual Report. December 17, 2018, marked my 10-year Anniversary as the first Police Chief for the City of Dunwoody and I could not be more honored to have served such a wonderful community for over a decade. I am exceptionally proud to represent the professional, committed men and women who comprise this department. They serve with pride, compassion, and a willingness to put community before self each and every day.

The mission and vision of the Dunwoody Police Department are rooted in our commitment towards building positive relationships with our community. Our staff resists the pull of status quo and constantly strives for continuous improvement. Throughout the year, our organization has been involved in community events, dialogues, and neighborhood and civic association meetings intended to develop and nurture healthy communications between our department and the people we serve. Through community feedback and ongoing specialized training, our department is evolving to provide the utmost in police service in a modern and rapidly-changing environment.

Although we experienced a slight decrease in Part 1 Crime in 2017, 2018 saw a slight increase of 2.1%. Our biggest percentage increase in crime occurred with Rape (125%) and Armed Robbery (56.5%). The percentage was high, but the number of incidents were low. We also experienced an 11.3% increase in Burglaries. Reducing crime is a major focus of our crime-fighting efforts in 2019.

We responded to 59,506 calls for service, arrested 2,004 individuals, yet we received only 11 complaints. We had 105 use of force incidents, yet received no complaints of excessive force. The majority of our use of force was due to the display of either a firearm or a Taser. Both of these stats reflect our commitment to excellence and fair and impartial policing.

The top offenses for arrests included Shoplifting, Failure to Appear, Wanted Person Located and Drug Offenses. 86% of the people we arrested were non-residents. The top citation violations were Speeding, Following Too Close, Obedience to Traffic Control Device and Expired Tag.

Sadly, we experienced 19 overdose incidents in 2018; three of which were fatal. Thankfully, our officers deployed Narcan in several cases, resulting in lives saved. In fact, five officers received the Medal of Meritorious Service due to their life-saving efforts with Narcan and CPR. As we continue forward and look to the future, it is with great pleasure that I present this Annual Report to you as a token of our pledge to uphold our core values — Professionalism, Respect, Teamwork, Integrity,
Courage and Service

Your Chief,

Billy Grogan

Dunwoody Police Bulletin still shows all city police activity, DeKalb OJS shows mug shots and at 17 little Johnny is considered an adult.

http://p2c.dunwoodyga.gov/p2c/dailybulletin.aspx

From an email received this week.    John, on 11/19/2015 you sent out an email regarding the Police Daily Bulletin and transparency. Is that Bulletin available to the public on an ongoing basis? If so, how do I access it online? Not that I have time to read it regularly, but when we have an incident in the neighborhood, it would be nice to have. Pat

---

Pat, the blog from that date is still up and the link to the Daily Bulletin hasn't changed and the information is still as described in the post. There is also an accompanying page that lets you search for items and arrests within the last week here. The City of Dunwoody has worked very hard from day one to be transparent in everything we do and that includes telling the community what our police department is doing on a daily basis.

In fact the information I raised in the blog regarding 17 year old offenders has come up twice in the last year where several "hooligans" ages 16 & 17 got busted for doing something stupid. The 17 year old (who just celebrated his birthday the month before) is named publicly, booked in the DeKalb County Jail with a permanent record, mug shot taken and the record is now able to be found forever on the DeKalb Online Judicial System webpage. The 16 year old is basically released to his parents and is very thankful that his 17th birthday is still another couple weeks away.

DeKalb OJS is an interesting tool. After picking a category and logging in, you can either search for people in the system by name but I usually just go directly to the "Jail / Inmate Reports" tab and pull the "DeKalb County Sheriff's Office Arrest Log" for the date of interest and from there you can see all arrest information including the mug shot.

Based on issues I have seen with Dunwoody teenagers being arrested, it may be time to once again ask Mr. J Tom Morgan, the former District Attorney for DeKalb County to speak to the community. 
I believe he last spoke to the community in 2012 and it may be time to revisit the issue.

Below is the book written by Mr. Morgan that I highly recommend for both teenagers and parents.

Amazon price - $15.00

PS: At one time the book was available at the Dunwoody and Chamblee Libraries but at the moment I can't find them in the system.

Through real-life examples, Ignorance is No Defense explains Georgia laws to teenagers in easy-to-understand language. With a primary focus on criminal laws, Ignorance is No Defense not only describes what the law requires but also teenagers’ rights under the law. Author J. Tom Morgan, a highly respected former prosecutor and experienced trial lawyer, provides straightforward information and valuable insights to help teenagers avoid violating the law and avoid being victims of crime.

“There are only four states in the country that treat our teenagers as adults when they’re 17, and Georgia’s one of those four states,” said Morgan, who has spoken to many thousands of teenagers, was on the U.S. Advisory Board on Child Abuse and Neglect, and chaired Georgia’s Child Abuse Prevention Panel.

“I testified before the Georgia legislature last year about raising that age to 18 to fit with the rest of the country, and I’ll never forget what the legislator said: ‘Oh Mr. Morgan, we can’t do that because we don’t want our constituents in Georgia to think we’re soft on crime.”

Morgan said he represented two girls—one 16, one 17—who together shoplifted less than $100 worth of CDs and DVDs from Target. Because one was lawfully an adult at the time, the crime was on her permanent record, while the 16-year-old didn’t have it on hers.

“You’re criminal history starts on your 17th birthday and stays with you until the day you die,” he said. “Don’t screw it up.” (WestCobb Patch - March 2011)

 Video

Dunwoody Police Department Five Year Staffing Plan from 2016 City Retreat

Memo & PowerPoint Presentation

DeKalb CEO publishes YouTube statement, DA Robert James calls Ellis’ accusations ‘ridiculous’

The matter of The State vs. W. Burrell Ellis, Jr. will be getting lots of news coverage in the coming weeks and today the CEO published a public statement on YouTube that I thought I would share.  The other videos and documents round out the story.

Video

Video

15 Count Indictment of Ellis

Radio Interview of Ellis by Jones.

Dunwoody Police give recommendations to stop car break-ins - Lock, Take and Hide.

Video

Dunwoody Teen chases down, tackles DUI suspect who tried to run.

Video

My name is Brandon Morales and I dare you to try to out run me?

Dunwoody items of interest - crime, politicians, actors, race relations, paving, alarms, zoning and other news.

Dunwoody man accused of throwing another off 5th-floor apartment balcony

Video

Eight qualify for 3 Dunwoody seats, vote early, vote often!

The election season has officially begun!  We look forward to hearing from all 8 qualified candidates for city council. And remember you only get to vote for the candidate who live in and represents your district. 

District 1 - Denny Shortal (incumbent), Henly Shelton, David Davis
District 2 - Heyward Wescott, Jim Riticher, William AJ Mercier
District 3 - Doug Thompson (incumbent), Sam Eads

40th Season of Stage Door Players - starts in a couple of weeks - get a season subscription to support the arts.

Census Map by Race for Dunwoody and Sandy Springs

 

Busted

Dunwoody Police have arrested Roman Melnik, 23, for an alleged sexual assault and battery on Barclay Drive, near N. Peachtree Road, on Aug. 25. Melnik has been charged with Kidnapping, Sexual Battery and Simple Battery, according to police. 

Dunwoody Street Paving Activity Hits Record Levels

 The City of Dunwoody proactively spent its summer paving neighborhood streets and building sidewalks at a record pace.  From June to mid-August, city crews paved and resurfaced more than 19 lane miles of neighborhood streets and city roads and constructed 4,000 feet of city sidewalks, completing all of the paving prior to the start of the school year in DeKalb County.

Have you registered your alarm?

•  https://www.crywolf.us/oss/dunwoodyga/

Council sets Tue Sept 17th aside to discuss zoning.

City Council to review proposed zoning ordinance on September 17th at 6 pm.

Labor Day, Sunday Cycle, & Dunwoody Walk's to School Day

Police warn of attacker near Dunwoody Brook Run Park.

Video

Dunwoody police are investigating after a woman reported being sexually assaulted Sunday afternoon.  The woman was attacked from behind while she was walking on Barclay Drive near North Peachtree Road around 5:30 p.m., police said.

The suspect, described as a white male in his late 20s to early 30s, is 5-foot-5 to 5-8 and weighs 170 to 180 pounds. Police said he may have cuts on his face that were inflicted during the assault.
 
Anyone with information on the case should contact Detective Robert Bentivegna at 678-382-6911 or robert.bentivegna@dunwoodyga.gov. Tips can be submitted anonymously at www.dunwoodypolice.com or via text message to C-R-I-M-E-S (274-637) with the keyword DPDTIPS at the start of the message.

Dunwoody Police Chief Billy Grogan and the 2012 Annual Report

Video

Neighborhood Watch,  Police to Citizen Portal,  Other Citizen Assistance Resources

2012 Annual Report - pdf

Dunwoody crimes up 11 percent - Dunwoody Reporter July 29, 13

Dunwoody Homeowner Association meeting this Sunday to discuss public safety and rezoning rewrite.

Board of Directors Meeting

Sunday, August 4, 2013 @ 7:30 P.M.

Announcements and introduction of distinguished visitors

1.                Approval of minutes for July 2013

2.                Presentation by Timothy Fecht, Dunwoody PD on public safety including Neighborhood Watch, crime statistics and the CodeRed warning system.

3.        Zoning Code re-write  Final Thoughts

4.       October 17 Candidate Forum

5.      2014 Membership Drive

                           

Votes as needed on any motions and discussion of recusal of board members on city commissions/boards during Board only session

Adjourn

Next meeting: September 8, 2013

Dunwoody Police Crime Response Team is ready for your requests.

Crime Response Team

CRT Mission and Philosophy

The Crime Response Team was formed in May of 2013 as part of the Dunwoody Police Patrol Division to provide the Department with the ability to quickly address emerging crime trends and problem areas. The CRT allows the Department to direct resources to a specific problem without diverting Patrol officers from responding to calls for service. The overriding philosophy of the CRT is that crime can be deterred from occurring through highly proactive enforcement and through directed enforcement following creative problem oriented policing strategies.

The Crime Response Team consists of three patrol officers and one sergeant working in a variety of marked and unmarked vehicles, bicycle patrol and foot patrol - depending upon the specific problem they are addressing.

CRT Goals and Priorities

The goal of the Crime Response Team is to answer all traffic and criminal complaints in your area. The main priorities of the CRT are:

1. Traffic Enforcement and Investigations
2. Suppression of Property Crime and Crimes Against Persons
3. Narcotic Investigations
4. Problem-Oriented Policing Projects

Traffic Hazards and Complaints

The Traffic Complaint Form is designed to provide citizens the opportunity to alert the Dunwoody Police Department to potential traffic hazards in their neighborhood or a particular location within the City.
Such complaints might be drivers repeatedly disobeying a stop sign at an intersection, drivers failing to slow down in school zones, or drivers routinely speeding at a particular location.

If you have observed a potential traffic hazard and would like the Dunwoody Police Department's Crime Response Team to look into it, please use our ONLINE TRAFFIC COMPLAINT FORM to notify us.

Speed Trailer Requests and Reports

The use of a speed trailer aids in educating the public. Especially the driver who may be unaware of exactly how fast they are going. While traffic enforcement through visible patrols and traffic citations remains an important component of our overall traffic safety strategy, the use of our speed monitoring trailer bolsters our efforts to reduce speeding through education and awareness.

Residents who would like the speed monitoring trailer placed in their neighborhood are invited to use our ONLINE SPEED TRAILER REQUEST FORM to notify us. Due to the high volume of requests for the speed montoring trailer, placements will occur in the order in which requests are received.

For speed trailer results reporting, visit our SPEED TRAILER PAGE.

Criminal Complaints or Tips

The Dunwoody Police Department utilizes state of the art technology to receive information on criminal activity including potential drug "hot spots", crimes against persons or property, and other important information to help resolve or deter criminal activity within our community. Specific information such as addresses, detailed suspect descriptions, makes, models, colors, license plates and special features of vehicles as well as any other pertinent information can be helpful to the Department when investigating tips and complaints. Visit our Submit A Crime Tip page for access to our text or online tools.

Sgt. Jason Dove

Sergeant Jason Dove oversees the Crime Response Team and can be reached at (678) 382-6910 or EMAIL SERGEANT DOVE

Is DeKalb County still offering criminals the equivilent to a one way greyhound ticket to escape jail time?

Interesting history - Is this practice still being done today?

Banished from DeKalb County from My mind is on Georgia

DeKalb County seems to use banishment more than most counties often telling drug offenders they are banished from 158 of Georgia's 159 counties leaving tiny Echols County as the number one travel destination for folks who are banished.

Georgia's counties are allowed to say 'Get out and stay out' as punishment

Since 1877, Georgia's constitution has specifically prohibited two types of punishment for offenders -- whipping and banishment ''beyond the limits of the state.''

The interpretation by prosecutors and judges has long been that banning offenders from parts of the state -- whether one county or 158 of Georgia's 159 counties -- is perfectly legal.

The Georgia Supreme Court upheld that view in 1974, ruling against a woman who challenged her banishment from seven counties for a year.

Justice Hiram K. Undercofler, the lone dissenter, warned banishment permits ''one county to relegate its criminals to another county and thereby create dissension and provoke retaliation.''

Exiled offenders rarely challenge banishment in court, said Larry Schneider, public defender in DeKalb County near Atlanta. Stuck with a choice between going to jail or leaving town, defendants usually agree to be banished as part of a plea bargain or as a condition of probation, he said.

 Echols County

Echols County, Georgia - Wikipedia

Echols County has become notable in recent years as it has served as a place of banishment for many of Georgia's criminals.

Q&A/Rural county baffled by judges' punishment 

Lamar Raulerson, chair of the three-member Echols County Commission has lived in the county all of his 48 years, and he has never heard of anyone moving to the county as part of a criminal conviction.

Hipster Dad Blog 

 Our state's constitution prevents judges from using the punishment of being banned from the state. But judges do have the legal option of confining criminals to a single county. In most cases, that would be Echols County, a bit of nowhere roughly located about the point where you've gone far enough from Valdosta to question what the point of going on is. The theory is, having been banished to the least appealing county in the state, any sensible city-bred multiple offender will choose instead to turn over a new leaf. In practice, however, it means that they'll leave the state entirely, never to return. Everybody wins! Except residents of whatever state the miscreants choose to relocate, but then it's not our problem anymore.

Dunwoody Armed Robbery - Reward Offered

Police Notice

On 05/21/2013 at approximately 11:24 pm, the victim was walking in the 2100 block of Peachford Rd when he was approached by the suspect. The suspect pulled a gun and demanded money. After committing the act, the suspect fled on foot. An older model 4 door black Toyota Camry with a black grill was possibly used as a getaway vehicle. Sketch provided by the GBI.

Dunwoody Kidnap Attempt - Reward Offered

Video

On 05/25/13 at approximately 2:30pm, the victim reported a white male driving a newer model white work-type van with no side rear windows attempted to abduct her as she walked on Cotillion Drive near Chamblee Dunwoody Road. The suspect is described as a white male, mid 20’s to early 30’s, slim, wearing a blue ball cap, and a white sleeveless shirt.

Police Notice

Dunwoody Neighborhood Watch Update

Good Morning Neighborhood Watch,

Tuesday night we had a meeting of the Neighborhood Watch Coordinators.  We had a great turnout and it was a pleasure meeting everyone and putting a face to a name.  The Dunwoody Police Department is fortunate to have such an engaged and involved community of volunteers that are motivated to make this the best city around.  We appreciate your time and commitment to Neighborhood Watch and crime prevention.

For those who were unable to attend I have linked theagenda from our meeting as well as a summary from Rich Lapin (NWC Chestnut Forest).  Mr. Lapin did a great summary and explained the topics thoroughly.  Please see summary below.

“1. Crime Trends in Dunwoody: Part 1 Crime (murder, rape, etc.) was down 15% through April 2013 vs. a similar period last year.  In overview terms there are about 50 staff with Dunwoody PD who police  many neighborhoods, about 68 of which are on the neighborhood watch program.  They also are responsible for the safety of 47,000 people in our city.  As information, when you exclude DUI and traffic arrests from their totals, about 70% of crime is committed by peoplewho do not live here.  Lesson: we need to be vigilant about people who come here, aren’t familiar by sight to us, and act suspiciously.  More below.

Two issues merited comment:

    a) Solicitors: commercial solicitors are required to have City of Dunwoody licenses; religious groups are exempt.  Beware of unknown people coming through the neighborhood seeking to do work. Call 911.

    b) Tree cutting scam: we’ve already covered this but this effort involves a team where someone comes to your door and offers to do an estimate on tree work.  You walk with them, leave your door open or unlocked. One of their accomplices sneaks into your house to collect easy targets – electronics like computers, iPads, etc. Lesson: If you didn’t call them, don’t talk to them.  If they persist, call 911.

    Comment: People may be reluctant to call 911, please don't be!!  Both Chief Grogan and Officer Fecht were very open in the questions that came up.  They both echoed the same theme: you or I are not “bothering” them.  That’s why they’re there and they would rather respond to calls that aren’t serious knowing that in time, they will encounter a situation that required an officer. Both Chief and Officer Fecht encourage us to call. The worst thing that they can hear is a report about something a civilian like us saw and didn’t say anything until the next day.  Timing is everything on tips to them.

2. Increase watch participation: If you learn that a neighbor is not on our watch distribution, please have them contact me with their email address.  We’d like to have 100% participation with everyone who has a computer. We’re getting close to that.

3. Lock, take, hide: Chief encouraged everyone to lock his/her car on leaving, remove anything of value (purse, laptop, iPad), or hide anything that you can’t remove. The whole idea is to make your parked car less of a target than someone else’s in another neighborhood.  This is true even when you park your car in a carport or garage.  Also, keep the doors to your home locked when you leave – and when you’re home.

4.  End of school year tips now that kids will be at home during the day:

• Answer the door if someone knocks or rings the bell. Answer through the door without opening.  Be loud when you do.  These tips apply for kids, too.  They can say “My mom (or dad) can’t come to the door and I’ve got to take care of my pet pit bull. Down, boy! Come back later.”  Your home went from being a target to too much work for the bad guy(s). They will leave.
• Have kids play outside with other kids within a block of their houses.  There is safety in numbers.
• Have your kids give you a periodic check in call.  Pick a pattern that works for you.  If in doubt, use the Dr. Pepper rule: 10, 2, and 4.
• Teach kids to be aware of their surroundings.  If they are frightened about an external threat and alone, have them call 911.

5. Miscellaneous topics covered:

• Suspicious cars in the neighborhood: tips to look for are these: if there are multiple people in a car and they are more focused on you, call 911. If they are moving slowly and somewhat methodically through the neighborhood without stopping or getting out of the car, call 911.  If they pull into a driveway and don’t get out of the car, call 911.  The best rule of thumb is if you are suspicious, call 911.
• Vacation watch: The Dunwoody Police Department has a new system called Interactive Defense that allows you to enter and maintain your home watches and receive email and/or text message updates as your home is able to be checked. Simply go to www.dunwoodyids.com and click on "Not Registered? Click Here" in the upper right corner. Once you register you can go to the "Safety Center" tab and click on "Request a Home Watch" on the right of the screen. The Home Watch will directly link to the Dunwoody Police Officers who are on patrol.  The police departments website is: http://dunwoodyga.gov/Departments/Dunwoody-Police-Department.aspx.
• Bad weather alert: Chief said that there are a number of services available through the Dunwoody Alert program. More info is available online at: http://dunwoodyga.gov/Departments/Dunwoody-Police-Department/dunwoodyalertnetwork.aspx
• Alarm ordinance: This resulted from 4000 false alarms last year, 90% of which were human error.  The ordinance goes into effect on July 1.  They key elements are that owners will be able to register their alarm on the website.  The electronic portal for this service is still being put together. If you have an alarm, you are required to register it.  Noncompliance draws a $100 fine.  Each alarm owner will be allowed up to 2 false alarm calls in a year. If there is a third one, there is a $50.  In short, the system is designed to make people who create the problem and abuse the system, “pay” for their shortcomings on fine basis. More information coming soon!

6. Just Yell Fire: A watch coordinator in Wren’s Cross advised that there is a nationally recognized program designed for girls/ young women ages 11 to 19 to avoid situations where they could be victims of a sexual assault. It is scheduled for June 4 at 6:30 PM. More information on the session ($50 per girl, $35 for each additional sibling) is available from Jane Burdette at 404-557-5628, janeburdette@bellsouth.com.  For background on the program itself, visit www.justyellfire.org, an organization based in Vancouver, Washington.  The previous info is just background that I’m sharing, not an endorsement as I was not familiar with the program until this evening. If it’s not age relevant for your household, feel free to share it with others.  Note that class size is limited.”

Remember that there are multiple ways to connect to Dunwoody Police, please consider following us on:

Facebook

Twitter

Interactive Defense

Youtube

DPD website

Dunwoody Alert Network

If there are any questions please feel free to email or call me.

Thank you,

Officer Tim Fecht

Community Outreach

Public Information Officer

Dunwoody Police Department                           

41 Perimeter Center East, Ste. 100

Dunwoody, Ga 30346

Office: 678.382.6917

Timothy.Fecht@dunwoodyga.gov

www.dunwoodyga.gov

Interactive Defense

Facebook                                            

Twitter

Dunwoody Police were involved with a shooting, no injuries but suspect is in custody.

Video

Incident: Officer Involved Shooting

Date: 5/3/2013

Location: 120 Perimeter Center West, Dunwoody, GA 30346

The Dunwoody Police Department has arrested Robert Goodman, age 20, for Theft by Receiving (F), Aggravated Assualt against Officer- 2 counts (F), Aggravated Assualt (3rd party), Hit & Run- 4 counts, Damage to Government Property 2-counts and Possession of Tool used in the Commision of a Crime.

At 3:12 pm officers responded to a autotheft in progress at 120 Perimeter Center West. When officers arrived on scene they attempted to make contact with the suspect at which time the suspect attempted to flee from officers. The suspect struck two civilian vehicles and two police vehicles in the parking lot then drove towards a uniformed officer, at that time a Dunwoody officer discharged his firearm to protect the lives and safety of police officers and pedestrians in the area. There have been no reported injuries at this time.

If you have any information about this case, please contact Dunwoody Police at (678) 382-6919.

M            S40-6-270--Hit and run; duty of driver to stop at or return to scene of

F              S16-7-24(A)--Interference with government property.

F              S16-7-24(A)--Interference with government property.

F              S16-7-20--POSSESSION OF TOOL-COMMISSION OF A CRIME-/FEL/-

M            S40-6-390--Reckless driving.

M            S40-6-271--Duty upon striking unattended vehicle.

M            S40-6-271--Duty upon striking unattended vehicle.

M            S40-6-271--Duty upon striking unattended vehicle.

F              S16-5-21--AGGRAVATED ASSAULT-/FEL/-

F              S16-5-21--AGGRAVATED ASSAULT-/FEL/-

F              S16-5-21--AGGRAVATED ASSAULT-/FEL/-

F              S16-8-7--THEFT BY RECEIVING STOLEN PROPERTY -/FEL/MISD/-

Dunwoody residents can check the police calls and accidents near their home.

Police to Citizen Portal

I had a number of conversations this weekend regarding neighborhood crime and one of the tools I used to explain what was happening in a specific subdivision was the Police to Citizen Portal, event search shown above and available at the link below.

http://www.dunwoodyga.gov/Departments/Dunwoody-Police-Department/Community-Outreach/Police-to-Citizen-Portal.aspx

I just put in the address and the search range and he was able to see everything that happened near his home and he then clicked individual items of interest to read the complete police report.

Since many accidents showed up in those results, I thought I would check to see the accidents near Dunwoody High School and the results for the last year are shown above.  The full accident reports are not available on line but they are available from the police department.

The other tool on the Portal that I (and know many others) review on a regular basis is the Daily Bulletin which lists not only the Dunwoody Police events of the specific day but also the names of those cited.

These items are not new as I have mentioned them previously, but a neighbor who was unaware of the tools was really impressed and thankful they were available.  You may want to check it out?

Here are a few previous pieces I provided on the tool.

Real Time Dunwoody Crime Stats Hit The Web

Want to know where crime is happening in Dunwoody, there’s an app for that.

Dunwoody Police shooting near Perimeter Mall.

Video

Dunwoody police say one of their own officers shot and killed a man after he sped through an intersection and hit several cars near Perimeter Mall on Wednesday night.

Investigators say officers were directing traffic at the intersection of Perimeter Center West and Ashford-Dunwoody Road due to heavy holiday shopping traffic saw a vehicle driving erratically headed toward the intersection. They were able to flag him down and divert him into a nearby gas station.

When officers approached the car, they say the man sped off and hit at least two other vehicles. Officers fired shots at the vehicle, and one bullet went through the windshield and hit the driver in the chest. The car kept going for a few blocks before coming to a stop.

The driver of the vehicle, who has not yet been identified, was taken to Grady Memorial Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. No officers were injured.

The incident is now under investigation by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, and the officer involved in the shooting has been placed on administrative leave.