The following reports are gleaned from our APD Zone 6 (http://www.atlantapd.org/zone6.aspx ) crime stats for the 2012 weeks of 26 and 27. Again, I state that these reports are not meant to scare anyone, but to make you aware of what happens around us everyday, and to raise your level of alertness and awareness. The emphasis is on our VaHi Beat 601, but with news from around the Zone as it applies to us.

Aggravated Assault – No reported incidents in Beat 601

Auto Theft – Vehicles were stolen on North Highland Avenue and a botched attempt on Barnett Street. The attempt though, left the car owners with a damaged ignition switch assembly.

Auto Theft Recovery – No reported recoveries in Beat 601

Residential Burglary – Incidents were reported on St. Louis Place with an ex-boyfriend suspected – Greenwood Avenue with entry via a rear window, with the screen removed and on Park Drive with entry via broken back door window.

Commercial Burglary – No reported incidents in Beat 601

Residential Robbery – No reported incidents in Beat 601. However there was a vicious home robbery on Estoria Street in Cabbagetown on 7/3 http://eastatlanta.patch.com/articles/parents-turn-in-alleged-cabbagetown-gunman

Commercial Robbery – No reported incidents in Beat 601. However, nearby the North Highland Pub was robbed along with the patrons on 6/25 at 11:30 p.m. http://eastatlanta.patch.com/articles/atlanta-police-release-photo-of-one-north-highland-pub-robbery-suspect

Larceny From Vehicle – Vehicles were entered on PDL Place (2), St. Louis Place, and on Maryland Avenue where the license plate was stolen and replaced with another plate. Keep walking behind your vehicle every day or so to make sure you still have a license plate (or the right one). Remember the Clean Car Campaign and keep ALL parked cars cleaned out at ALL times and remind your careless friends and neighbors. We all pay for all of these incidents through our vehicle insurance premiums.

Larceny Other – A cell phone was taken from an unwatched purse at Atkins Park restaurant. A backpack and clothing were stolen from an unlocked storage area under the Druid Hills Presbyterian Church with the victim fingering a suspect who had been arrested on another charge earlier that same day. I am assuming this is some sort of service for homeless folks – am I right?

Around the Zone there were reports of more snatched cell phones – several at the Starbux on Moreland Avenue in L5P and at the San Francisco Coffee on DeKalb Avenue – with an arrest made. An unwatched cell phone was taken from the bar at The Albert on Austin Avenue in Inman Park. A phone was snatched from a texting driver who was waiting for a lite on Boulevard – the window was open quite obviously.

The PDL Avenue Kroger evidently has a couple of job openings now. One employee took $1143 in cash from a register and left before his shift ended. Another employee cashed out $1000 of gift cards and also took $100 from a register – then he had the nerve to come back in a few days to pick up his paycheck. When he was confronted he fled in a waiting car. The Wendy’s on Boulevard is missing $551 in cash taken by an employee who disappeared.

Pedestrian Robbery – No reported incidents in Beat 601.
However there was a nearby recent incident early on 7/22 – the story at http://www.wsbtv.com/news/news/local/women-shot-robbed-near-inman-park-restaurant/nP2DJ/

Almost forgot to mention the forum at Inman School Tuesday evening 7/24 at 6:30 p.m. for candidates for our statehouse reps. Remember we now have two different house districts in VaHi. http://vahi.patch.com/articles/candidate-forum-set-for-tuesday-44e25533

The following reports are gleaned from our Zone 6 crime stats for the 2012 weeks of 22, 23, 24 and 25, Note that this is a month’s worth of crime, instead of the usual 2 weeks of reports. Again, I state these reports are not meant to scare anyone, but to make you aware of what happens around us everyday and to raise your level of alertness. The emphasis is on our VaHi Beat 601, but with reports from around the Zone as they affect us.

Aggravated Assault – There was a domestic incident at a North Highland Avenue apartment.

Auto Theft – Vehicles were stolen from Amsterdam Avenue, Greenwood Avenue (2), Barnett Street, and PDL Avenue

Auto Theft Recovery – No reported recoveries in Beat 601

Residential Burglary – A Rosedale Road residence was broken into via a brick thrown thru the living room window at 2:25 a.m. – the thief reached in and grabbed a laptop from a desktop and fled.

Commercial Burglary – No reported incidents in Beat 601

Residential Robbery – No reported incidents in Beat 601

Commercial Robbery – No reported incidents in Beat 601. Closeby, though, the Burger King on North Avenue was robbed at gunpoint and the perp fled on foot.

Larceny From Vehicle – Vehicles were entered on Greenwood Avenue (3), North Highland Avenue (2), Maiden Lane (3 and all at the same time period), PDL Avenue (2) and catalytic converters were sawed off on Maryland Avenue and Highland View (2).
Yet another unwatched landscaper’s truck had tools taken on Springdale Road in Druid Hills. Please warn your lawncare guys of this danger.

Larceny Other – A cell phone was taken from a Hand in Hand employee while she was at work. A flat screen tv was stolen from a Briarcliff Summit apartment after the door was left open by exterminators, and the Rosemont 310 store on North Highland Avenue reported a shoplifting incident.
Nearby, $15,000 worth of checks and money orders were stolen from the rent drop box at CityScape apartments on North Avenue.

Now – the big problem all over Zone 6 (and elsewhere too), snatch and grabs from unsuspecting and unalert victims. Amazingly enough, there were only two such reported VaHi incidents in this 4 week period where one MJQ Club patron lost an unwatched purse off the bar and another lost a phone. But elsewhere in the Zone in this 4 week time period these thefts were rampant. At a North Highland Avenue Inman Park coffee shop a laptop, iPad and iPhone were snatched from a table. A Righteous Room patron lost an iPhone from a table. In the Old 4th Ward Park a Macbook, iPhone and purse were snatched. A cell phone was snatched from a Boulevard BP station gas pumper (http://www.myfoxatlanta.com/story/18700025/police-say-phone-thefts-on-the-rise ) A Ralph McGill pedestrian lost a phone. A phone was stolen from an outside table at El Azteca on PDL Avenue. Perps asked to use a phone at Moreland and Austin Avenues and fled on foot. A phone was stolen from a table at Fritti on North Highland Avenue. A phone was taken from a table at Willie’s Mexican Grill at the Edgewood Retail District. A Colquitt Avenue pedestrian in Inman Park lost a cell phone. A purse was stolen from the bar at the Yacht Club in L5P. Laptops were snatched from the Moreland Avenue Starbucks in two different incidents. A laptop was snatched from a table at the Poncey Highland San Francisco Coffee shop. A phone was snatched from a pedestrian at a bus stop at Boulevard and Ralph McGill. A phone was snatched from a table at Fox Brothers BBQ on DeKalb Avenue. A phone was snatched from a table at the Flat Iron restaurant in East Atlanta Village – the phone was in a case that also had the victim’s debit card and driver’s license. I urge all servers and employees at our many, many VaHi bars and restaurants to watch for patrons leaving their phones, laptops, purses, etc on their table or on the bar to kindly ask them to put those items out of sight in a pocket or sit on them. Cell phones and laptops are NOT status items anymore and do not have to be left out to impress other folks.

Pedestrian Robbery – There were two of these frightening incidents here in Beat 601 in this time period. On 5/30 at 2 a.m. a lone male pedestrian was robbed at gunpoint by two males on North Highland Avenue north of Virginia Avenue. No injuries reported. Then on 6/3 another lone male pedestrian was robbed at gunpoint near Glen Arden at 11:30 p.m. with no injuries reported. Please, please, if you have been having a few drinks at one of our many bars/restaurants and decide to walk home solo – DO NOT!!! Any of our responsible hospitality establishments will gladly see that you get some safe way home – this is why cabs are stationed here every nite.

Elsewhere and nearby in the Zone – there were several other such incidents. On 6/4 at 12:30 a.m. a lone male pedestrian was robbed at gunpoint on North Highland Avenue south of PDL Avenue. On 6/6 at 6:30 p.m. two joggers were robbed at gunpoint on a Freedom Park path. On 6/7 on Highland Avenue at Jackson Street a lone female was robbed at gunpoint. In Glenwood Park on Garrett Street a lone female pedestrian was robbed at gunpoint at 2:15 p.m.

Some of the lessons to take away from these reports – stay alert and be aware of your surroundings at ALL times. If your cell phone rings while you are walking – let it go and wait til you are in a place where you can talk and not risk having your phone snatched. We cannot talk on the phone and walk at the same time and stay alert – it just does not work. If you have had a few drinks and are tempted to walk home solo – please call a cab instead. Just look at that cab fare as an insurance policy, and don’t become a target.

Remember the Clean Car Campaign and keep your parked car cleaned out at ALL times.

A falling tree recently tore up a section of heavily used sidewalk on Virginia Avenue just west of PDL Place next to the Inman School playground. Alert resident Julie Knapp started to work on getting this repaired and was joined by David Berl – thanx to their persistent efforts, Public Works got this repaired before Summerfest.

Also, I got a report about from Uwe Nischan about the traffic-obscuring tall grass at Kanuga Street and Monroe Drive. I called Public Works and was told it could not be cut til sometime in June. Then I decided maybe I could cut it myself, but when I went to this location – the grass was already cut. Since it evidently was not Public Works that cut the grass – was there a good neighbor who took on this project?

The following reports are from our Zone 6 crime stats for the 2012 weeks of 17, 18 and 19. Again I state these reports are not meant to scare anyone, but to make you aware of what happens around us everyday and to raise your level of alertness. Please note there are 3 weeks of reports instead of the usual 2 weeks.

Aggravated Assault – At 5 p.m. on the eastbound lanes of PDL Avenue, an officer was flagged down by a motorist who stated he was being followed by another motorist, who also stopped. Turns out the motorist who flagged down the officer was armed and had pointed his handgun at the other motorist after he had cut off the other in traffic. The armed motorist was arrested.

Auto Theft – Vehicles were stolen from St. Charles Place, Drewry Street and Adair Avenue.

Auto Theft Recovery – No reports from Beat 601

Residential Burglary – A Drewry Street residence was entered with no forced entry – possible via a key. The husband had keys taken from a gym locker, had his car unlocked and lost his wallet. There was nothing reported stolen – only that the intruder had defecated in a bathroom wastebasket.

Commercial Burglary – The Suntrust Bank branch inside the PDL Avenue Publix store was robbed at gunpoint at 2:30 p.m. with the perp fleeing on foot.

Residential Robbery – No reported incidents from Beat 601

Commercial Robbery – No reported incidents from Beat 601

Larceny From Vehicle – Vehicles were entered on Cooledge Avenue, Greenwood Avenue, Maiden Lane, North Highland Avenue (2), Rosedale Road, PDL Avenue and Amsterdam Avenue. An unsuccessful attempt was made on Highland Green Way in the parking garage. The Amsterdam Avenue report was yet another theft from an unlocked lawn care truck. Please warn your landscaper and lawn care folks to keep all of their equipment locked at all times while they are working.

Larceny Other – The North Highland Avenue CVS store had a shoplifter and Real Chow Baby restaurant on PDL Avenue had two female patrons skip out on their check.
Our PDL Avenue Kroger and Publix stores caught 6 shoplifters, and the Target store at Edgewood Retail District caught 5 non-payers.

Pedestrian Robbery – No reported incidents from Beat 601

June Traffic Advisories – The Red Bull Soapbox Race will close down 10th Street between Myrtle Street and Monroe Drive from 9:30 a.m. on 6/8 til noon on 6/10.
Also PDL Avenue closings detailed at http://vahi.patch.com/articles/beltline-project-will-close-part-of-ponce-d4543c7c

The following reports are from our Zone 6 crime stats for the 2012 weeks of 13 and 14, with emphasis on our Beat 601, but with news from around the zone as it applies to us. Again, I state, these reports are not meant to scare anyone – but to make you aware of what happens around us everyday.

Aggravated Assault – No reported incidents in Beat 601

Auto Theft – Vehicles were stolen from PDL Place and North Highland Avenue

Auto Theft Recovery – No such findings from Beat 601

Residential Burglary – A residence was entered on PDL Place via a kicked-in door

Commercial Burglary – No reported incidents in Beat 601

Residential Robbery – No reported incidents in Beat 601

Commercial Robbery – No reported incidents in Beat 601

Larceny From Vehicle – Vehicles were entered on Maiden Lane, Monroe Drive, North Highland Avenue (2), Briarcliff Place, Briarcliff Road, Park Drive and Amsterdam Walk. Of these 8 reported incidents, only three were VaHi residents – leaving 5 victims to tell their friends what a crime-ridden neighborhood this is. In this two-week time period all over Zone 6 there were – 16 laptops/notebooks swiped, 17 GPS systems taken, 6 I-pods taken, 4 more hand-guns added to the arsenal on the streets, 3 license plates unbolted (keep checking yours), 14 wallets and purses stolen (which represents a lot of credit/debit cards to be canceled and driver’s licenses to be replaced, etc.) 3 cameras taken, and, as usual, two reports of “nothing taken”. Of the 4 handguns taken – one ( a 40 caliber) from Euclid Avenue was used later in a shooting incident on Moreland Avenue and was subsequently recovered. Why legally buy a gun for robbery purposes when you can steal one?

My next report will have a much higher number of vehicle break-ins due to the spree someone had on Cooledge Avenue in week 15.

Larceny Other – No reported incidents in Beat 601 (this is amazing to me)

Pedestrian Robbery – No reported incidents in Beat 601

I am thrilled at how many folks are telling me about plans being made for street or block parties this spring. This is Crime Prevention 101 – by just getting neighbors together to know each other in a social setting. To help and assist others who are planning such get togethers – if you have tips and ideas as to how to organize such events from your previous experience – send these to Eleanor Barrineau (ebarrineau@aol.com) so we can have a how-to list for those of you who are still in the thinking stage. We can learn from each other.