VaHi Safety Team Report: October 28, 2013
By: John Wolfinger
Two Neighborhood Cleanups Planned
The fall neighborhood business district clean-up coordinated by Keep Virginia Highland Beautiful will be this Saturday morning (11/2) from 8 until 12 Noon – meet at the American Roadhouse patio for coffee and pastries before donning your gloves and setting out for your assigned area. This will be a good family outing – if your kids are old enough to bend over and pick up litter they are quite eligible to join in. The Old 4th Ward had 150 people at their recent Boulevard cleanup – so let’s not let them beat us in numbers. More details at https://vahi.org/date-set-for-keep-virginia-highland-beautiful-fall-clean-up-event/
Then, on the following Saturday morning (11/9), the BeltLine Security Patrol and the Piedmont Park Conservancy will be cleaning up under the Park Drive bridge from 9 until 12 Noon. This cleanup should be of particular interest to those VaHi residents west of Monroe Drive and I hope that many of you can join in on this cleanup, since this is right in your midst. Just show up under the bridge with your gloves and be ready to join in.
VaHi Home Tour Needs More Volunteers
Eleanor Barrineau is looking for more helpers to staff all the houses for this annual event on 12/7 and 12/8. I always meet more neighbors by volunteering for this event and it is an enjoyable way to introduce our community to visitors. Read the details at https://vahi.org/volunteers-needed-for-2013-vahi-tour-of-homes/
Our Safe Address Delivery Program
For those of you who may be new to the neighborhood – we have an easy and free way to thwart the front doorstep thieves who will soon be out looking for packages to steal. Just go by Intown Hardware, Urban Body on PDL Place or Morningstar Storage (formerly CityStorage) and sign up to use their safe addresses for the intended delivery of your packages. Then be sure to let all of your friends and relatives who send you holiday packages to use this address for shipping to you. These friendly neighborhood businesses will also call you to let you know you have a package to pick up. This program has been in operation for several years now and it really works – take advantage of it. Also – if you know a package is to be shipped via FedEx – their office on PDL Avenue at the Plaza will hold packages for you – stop by there to get the details. Don’t let Aunt Millie’s gift fruitcake end up in the bushes somewhere.
Making Suspicious Activity 911 Calls
The COPS division of APD has a great video on YouTube showing how to make such calls. This video “stars” two Zone 6 alums – Officers Woolfolk and Trotter – in their premier acting assignments. http://youtu.be/ZupdDxc3WCE
Last Summer’s Missing Child Incident
I was very impressed at the writing and reporting ability of Grady High School student Mary Claire Morris as she wrote up the facts of this scenario that we all lived thru last summer. http://thesoutherneronline.com/frontpage/?p=8162
FBAC Activity Reports
For those of you who always wonder what our subscription off-duty neighborhood patrol group (Fight Back Against Crime) does during their patrol times – the following figures will give you an idea at how busy this service is. These figures are for 9/22 – 10/19.
Directed Patrols – 22, Park and Walks – 21, Suspicious Person – 6, Alarm Response – 9, Suspicious Vehicle – 3, Parking Complaints – 5, Noise Complaints – 2, Out of Town Checks – 12, Abandoned Auto – 1, FBAC Member Contacts – 5, and Intoxicated Person – 2.
Learn more about this community service and how to join up at http://www.fbacvahi.com/
The following reports are taken from our APD Zone 6 (http://atlantapd.org/Zone6.aspx) crime stats for the 2013 weeks of 40 and 41 (9/29 – 10/12). 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.
Aggravated Assault : On 10/6 at the clubs around the corner of PDL Avenue and PDL Place, an intoxicated club patron was arguing with club security. He was calmed down and went to the parking lot – it was then that people were screaming that someone had a gun. An arrest was made by an off-duty officer at the scene with no shots fired.
Auto Theft: A 2000 Honda Civic was stolen from St. Charles Avenue.
Commercial Burglary: No reported incidents from Beat 601
Residential Burglary: No reported incidents from Beat 601
Commercial Robbery: No reported incidents from Beat 601
Residential Robbery: No reported incidents from Beat 601
Pedestrian Robbery: On 9/29 a group of friends was leaving a North Highland club at closing time when one female was supposedly forced into a car that was not a cab. One male friend ran alongside the car trying to open the door, but was not successful. The driver took $120 in cash from the victim’s purse and then they stopped at an ATM where the victim withdrew more cash. She left the ATM location with 2 unidentified females who were following the car and they took her home to Sandy Springs.
On 10/3 a male/female couple were robbed at gunpoint at the corner of Greenwood and Frederica by 3 males who sped off in a waiting vehicle. No injuries to the victims were reported.
On 10/8 the male victim stated he was riding his bicycle on Greenwood Avenue in the evening when a vehicle hit him intentionally from behind. The victim stated 2 males exited from the vehicle and kicked him in the face, and that they fled in the vehicle. The victim stated he was unable to find help, so climbed a grassy hill and passed out. No word in the report as to how it was that he was found by the officer or as to the extent of his injuries.
Larceny From Vehicle: Vehicles were entered on PDL Place, Bonaventure Avenue, Virginia Avenue, St. Charles Avenue (3), North Virginia Avenue, Lanier Boulevard, Greenwood Avenue, Los Angeles Avenue, North Highland Avenue, and Drewry Street.
In this two week time period there were 84 such incidents all over Zone 6.
Larceny Other: The victim plugged her I-pad into a plug at an unidentified PDL Avenue restaurant, went to the restroom and (surprise!) it was gone upon her return.
An unwatched cell phone was taken from a counter at the Bank of America on PDL Avenue.
At a St. Louis Place apartment the victim stated the suspect came in his (unlocked?) front door stating he was looking for his cell phone. A fight ensued and the suspect grabbed the victim’s cell phone and fled on foot.
An unwatched purse left on a chair at an un-named PDL Avenue bar had the wallet taken from it while the owner was in the restroom.
Elsewhere in the Zone our PDL Avenue Kroger and Publix stores caught 2 shoplifters and the Edgewood Target store caught 5 non-paying visitors. An unwatched cell phone was taken from a shopping cart at the Edgewood Kroger store. A cell phone was snatched out of a hip belt- holder from an Edgewood Barnes and Noble customer.
At a Boulevard gas station a male approached a female in a cab offering her some cocaine. She handed him her phone so he could enter his phone number, he ran and she gave chase – only for him to circle around the cab to take her I-pad off the seat, and he got away.
For all of the hundreds of parents who are accompanying their kids for trick-or-treat night – don’t forget to get new batteries for your flashlight. In all of the years I have been doing these reports I am not aware of any incidents on this night – let’s keep it that way. FBAC and APD both will be looking out for the roving groups of parents and kids Thursday evening.
Enjoy fall and Halloween safely!