Cobb Police January PENS Updates

The following is a summary of the January Cobb Police Precinct 4 PENS (Police Email Notification System) bulletin, which updates citizens on crime trends and related information.

• Over the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend, numerous business burglaries occurred along Johnson Ferry Road, Terrell Mill Road, Roswell Road, Providence Road and Village Trace.

The thieves appear to be targeting flat screen TVs and laptop computers as well as petty cash. Police suggest that business owners take laptop computers home overnight and pack up computer data to a portable hard drive that can also be taken home. Make sure that video surveillance cameras are operational and have had their alarms set.

• Several car break-ins were reported in neighborhoods along Paper Mill Road between Jan. 10 and Jan. 12. Sibley Forest, Atlanta Country Club, and Gateside Place were targeted in addition to residences along Woodlawn Drive. Thieves entered numerous unlocked vehicles looking primarily for cash and credit cards. They also smashed the windows of vehicles that had purses or briefcases in view.

• There were at least three car break-ins on Jan. 14 and 15 on Mainsail Drive, off East Piedmont Road. The items targeted include cash, electronics, gift cards, and CDs.

• Thefts from lockers at area fitness centers are continuing, with thieves stealing credit cards from unlocked lockers and heading straight to retail stores to make a purchase before the victim notices the cards are missing. There have also been incidents where the thief stole the keyless entry remote from the victim’s unlocked locker and then stole credit cards from the victim’s car in the parking lot.

• There is a substantial increase in the theft and dismantlement of commercial air conditioning units for the purpose of selling the copper and other recyclable materials. The current trend extends throughout the Sandy Plains and Shallowford Road areas. Both residential and commercial properties have the potential to fall prey to this type of criminal due to the difficulty in positively identifying the stolen items. Police recommend painting the coil a bright fluorescent color to help distinguish it from other units. 

• On Wednesday, police arrested a man and a woman on five counts each of entering autos after a uniformed officer noticed a suspicious vehicle stopped on Valencia Drive near Old Canton Road. The alleged incidents took place on those road and on Canton Hills Drive. Charges are pending against another male suspect.

Cobb Police urge motorists to be vigilant about locking car doors, whether at home or elsewhere, and remove valuables that may be visible to thieves. Citizens should observe the following:

• Park in a well-lighted place.
• Lock all doors.
• Roll up windows.
• Remove valuables from vehicle.
• Lock valuables in the trunk.
• Call police if suspicious people are seen walking near vehicles, looking in windows and trying to open doors.

Citizens should record serial numbers, the make and model of electronic equipment so police can match property to victims and victims to property.

When at home, keep the following in mind to reduce the chance of becoming burglarized: 

• Be aware that semi-professional and amateur burglars may be lurking in your neighborhood. 

• Residential burglars are often male teenagers who live nearby. If the risk of detection is too high, the average burglar will not attempt to enter your home.

• A semi-professional burglar may scout a neighborhood for up to a week, while the amateur burglar will spend only a few hours 'casing' a residence. After determining his target, the average burglar spends just a few minutes burglarizing it.

• Whether leaving home for five minutes or five weeks, it's vulnerable whenever it's unoccupied. Devise a home security program that works around the clock.