View From The Cop

I entitled this blog “Don’t screw up Valentine’s Day” because a great many of us men will.

Yep, it’s a safe bet that even with cell phone and computer calendar reminders ringing bells and tweets in our ears, we’ll screw it up.

As a gender, we’re not all that good at this particular holiday. Perhaps with a historical perspective, some of it gleaned from the Internet, we can appreciate it more and, thus, not end up celibate all spring long — which would be a very long spring.

Who was Saint Valentine and how did he become associated with all this?  The Catholic Church recognizes at least three different saints named Valentine, Valentinus and the less popular name, Vinnie.

One legend contends that Valentine was a priest in Rome. When the emperor decided that unmarried men made better soldiers, he outlawed marriages for young men.  Valentine, realizing the injustice of the emperor’s order, defied him and continued to perform marriages for young couples in love. When …

Continue reading Off-duty: Don’t screw up Valentine’s Day »

Here’s a not-so-unusual burglary report, this one from the 100 block of Spalding Trail:

A man reported someone forced entry into his apartment and took a laptop, PS3, cell phone and jewelry.

TIP: If you rent, look into renter’s insurance. Also, take your digital camera or video and make a document of your valuables, remembering to list the serial numbers and any other important information so that you can list them on your insurance papers or even better, claim them if recovered.

We have tons of unclaimed property that is auctioned off periodically.

Thefts

7400 block of Roswell Road: A man reported he left his car running outside a convenient store while he grabbed a bite to eat inside. Someone got into the car and drove off.

Don’t even need to say anything here do I?

A woman reported someone used her ID to open an account at a bank in Nashville, TN. The suspect placed $175 in the account. They returned a short time later and deposited a check, later found fraudulent, …

Continue reading If you rent, look into renter’s insurance »

About every home in Sandy Springs has an alarm. We answer from 600 to 1,200 alarms each month with an accuracy rate of about 3%. The other 97% or so can be chalked up to “subscriber error,” meaning you forgot the alarm was on, or other household goof ups. Each alarm probably takes 30 to 40 minutes of patrol time away.

Add it all up and it comes out to about — not good.

I have an alarm at my house and I can’t tell you how the dang thing works. I’ve never had one before, and it’s only been six years in this house, so I still have time to figure that and how to program the new multi-functional remote that costs almost as much as the television. The new remote can turn on the TV, CD, DVD, PS3, stereo, surround sound, the lights, the fireplace and, when the conditions are just right, my neighbor’s TV, too.

Nothing says fun like an adult beverage, sitting on the deck with Detective Sandy and watching my neighbor try to figure out why the TV automatically reverts to the …

Continue reading Is your home alarm always crying wolf? »

A woman reported she posted an ad to sell $25 in children’s clothing. A caller made the deal with her, but sent a money order from a “David Wilkerson” and made out for $850.

He told her his secretary made a mistake and told her to send $735 and she could keep the rest. She withdrew the funds from an account and sent it via Western Union to a Raymond Smith in London. Several days later, her bank notified her that the money order was fraudulent.

Those of you who read this report from time to time probably recognize the scam. The sender of the money order is different than the person to whom you’re sending the funds. They are counting on you sending the funds ASAP before the fake money order is found out.

A man reported he’s been “hanging out” with a guy named “Pete.” Pete asked to use the victim’s account to deposit $500. The victim gave him the account info and PIN and, long story short, the victim is out $5500.

Seriously? You made it that easy?

A woman …

Continue reading Scams, scams, everywhere scams »

Homicide arrests: In case you didn’t catch this from media reports, detectives have arrested three people in connection with the September 28 homicide at 550 Abernathy Road Apartments. This makes a total of six arrests in the case with at least one more on the horizon. The shooting was over a drug transaction. The buyers tried to pay $58,000 in counterfeit money for 2 kilos of cocaine prompting a shootout leaving two dead and two wounded.

SSPD has kicked off class 003 of the Citizen’s Police Academy.  The program will run 11 weeks and include presentations and hands-on training in a number of areas of police organization and operations. Class 004 will kick off in the late spring.  Interested parties should e-mail Officer Larry Jacobs.

Norsca and Officer Sean Hanse.

One of our retired K-9 family members passed away recently. Norsca, who served several years with Fulton County Police, died from cancer at the age of 13.

Norsca retired from service when Handler Officer Sean …

Continue reading News bites from the cop shop »

One thing that I do a lot is read police reports. I read a lot of reports. I read them every day. There are some things that happen over and over again. Daytime reports are boring. Most are burglaries, thefts, accidents, shoplifting and the occasional livestock-trailer accident sending dozens of cows running amok in the lovely suburbs of Sandy Springs.

I still have fond memories of screaming frantic-ridden phone calls of cow sightings. “Ma’am—it’s a cow. Not a bear. There are no killer cows. We’ll come pick it up. The worst that will happen is it will stare at you while it chews your begonias.”

The nighttime reports are much better — better because the crazy people come out to play.

Just after midnight, a guy gets out of the car and goes behind a building to urinate. He walks back out and there’s a cop standing next to his car.  The cop asks what he was doing. The man says he was taking a leak. They both knew that but burglars break into buildings late at …

Continue reading At night, the crazy people come out to play »

At around 11 p.m., SSPD officers responded to a complaint of fireworks and a loud party at a house in the 600 block of Londonberry Drive. When they arrived they found a lot of cars parked along both sides of the roadway — which is a no-no, big time, because we cannot get emergency vehicles, namely fire trucks, into the area when cars are parked on both sides.

The officers determined that the home was for sale and apparently rented to someone who was hosting a party and charging $20 at the door. A shuttle service brought party goers from the Northside-Powers Ferry Road shopping center. (Sound familiar?)

The officers estimated between 500 to 700 people were at the residence, including 50 waiting in line to get in. Officers shut down the party and arrested the two organizers, charging them with running a disorderly house.

Don’t develop routines that tip off the bad guys

The Rite-Aid store in the 4500 block of Roswell Road reported a robbery that occurred at about 6:30 in …

Continue reading Yet another giant-sized house party »

It’s snowing and we’re all going to die.

That’s right. It’s all over now because we could have over an inch of snow. You and I both know that means certain death and the end of civilization as we strangely know it.

Many years from now our fore and aft fathers will speak of the 2010 Flurries of Death that swept northern Georgia:

“I can remember my great-grandfather. He had so much more to give. He was killed by a flurry. Never had a chance.”

And to think we were worried about the H1N1.

As I sit and write, flurries are falling to the ground, plotting, waiting — waiting for just the right moment. God help you people in your cars!! Go as far as you can! Don’t look back! Save yourselves!

Flurries everywhere — must … keep … driving …

Everyone will be gone soon. Most have abandoned their buildings, cars and the tollbooths for the already-paid-for Georgia 400. Soon the city will look as barren as the desert, or worse — as Detroit.

But not the weather people. …

Continue reading Flurry madness! »

Based on a call, officers were dispatched to the parking lot of the Whole Foods, in the 5900 block of Roswell Road, concerning a man who was hiding between two cars parked in the lot. When the cops got there, the man was still hiding between the cars. As the officer approached the man whom he saw hiding between the two cars, the man rose up, saw the officer, and then ducked down again — I’m guessing in an effort to make himself invisible.

The man told the officer that he was playing with a laser pointer, which he could not produce. (Apparently he couldn’t make himself invisible but the laser pointer managed to disappear.) He did have a knife and the officer found scratches on the car, indicating the man attempted to get into it. The man had been arrested on Dec. 13 for the same thing. He was arrested for prowling and loitering and taken to jail.

When you see something suspicious, don’t second-guess yourself. There’s no bad reason to call. The number for Sandy Springs Police is …

Continue reading How getting involved helps us catch the bad guys »

“Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I’m not sure about the former.” — Albert Einstein

227 Sandy Springs Place: Subject entered Kroger store and apparently did not see the two marked patrol cars parked outside. He ran from store without paying for a $3.50 turkey sandwich.

He was apprehended by deli clerk and arrested. Subject had $51 in his pockets and advised that money was for the lottery. He stated “you have to be in it to win it.”

More Einsteins

1050 Hammond Drive: Just after 4 p.m. a patrol officer spotted a car driving erratically near the parking area of the Publix Store on Hammond and Peachtree Dunwoody Road. He followed the car to the parking area of the Homestead Suites. The car continued to drive erratically based on the fact that it jumped the curb, hit a concrete pillar and then an iron fence. A woman got out of the car, showing a fresh bruise under her eye and a red mark across the bridge of her nose. She was also on …

Continue reading Our criminal Einstein of the week »