View from the cop: Crime & punishment
View from the Cop is moving to a new site on Wordpress. Blogger Steve Rose of the Sandy Springs Police Department gives his take on crime, offers safety tips and give his weekly picks from the police blotter. Follow Steve Rose to the new blog site.
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February 2009
View from the cop: Crime & punishment
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
View from the Cop is moving to a new site on Wordpress. Blogger Steve Rose of the Sandy Springs Police Department gives his take on crime, offers safety tips and give his weekly picks from the police blotter. Follow Steve Rose to the new blog site.
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A cop’s take on crime: Better to be smart AND safe
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Around 10 p.m. a man, on his way home, walks into a convenience store to pick up a gallon of milk. He walks in right about the time another man, who has walked in some 30 seconds earlier, is trying to force the store clerk to clean out the cash drawer a bit faster so he can make his getaway.
The two men meet in the middle and seconds later the robber is out the door and running down the street. The poor slob who just happened to walk in at the wrong time, well, he’s standing there on his cell phone calling the cops while the store clerk just sits there with a wide eyed look on his now pale face. No one got hurt. They were lucky. The robber held all the cards and it was his decision whether or not this scenario turned tragic.
A couple of days later a man, on his way to his brand new Ford Expedition, walks from the parking deck elevator to his car parked in that section where few cars park. With the new car, he parks on the other side of the planet until he gets the first scratch and then, like all semi-new car owners, he falls back on the habit of parking as close to the office as possible. Anyway, he walks directly to the car and only slightly notices the two young men in an old Pontiac who, for some reason, parked way out there near the Expedition.
The man thinks it’s odd but then focuses on the car because it’s 5 p.m. and he want to get out of here and go home.
He glances at the two men, who turn out to be 17 years old, and hits the remote to unlock the car. As he opens the door, the two men are on him, one with a gun to the right side of his neck. They put him on the ground, hit him on the head with the gun butt, get in the car, and drive away.
He pulls his cell phone and calls 911. The two men don’t get a mile down the road before being spotted by a police cruiser who has just received the information from the 911 center.
The pursuit covers just over four miles. The two men, unfamiliar with the neighborhood and unable to shake the cops, drive fast but make a series of right turns until some seven minutes later, very close to the spot where they carjacked the victim, the pursuit ends when the Expedition slams into a police car who, like several others, were waiting at the end of the big circle.
The victim meanwhile is sitting in a police cruiser, holding a bandage to his head, still unable to grasp what had happened to him less than 10 minutes ago.
He was lucky. Although the cut on his head was throbbing, it was a hell of a lot better than lying there with a bullet in his head.
“It’s better to be lucky thank smart.”
I’ll take all the luck I can get! And, like most of you, I can remember a couple of times when it was luck alone that kept my butt out of some bad stuff.
Luck is a good thing.
Some luck, you can make for yourself. Here are some basics that aren’t labor intensive and will put a little more luck on your side.
First, realize this: We live in a large city with a large urban sprawl. Crime follows growth. Not necessarily high crime, but other than Mayberry, N.C., all cities and suburbs have some measure of crime so…
Don’t think it can’t happen to you. Here’s my safety primer:
Convenient stores
Convenient stores are often targets because they’re open late and sometimes located in isolated areas. It’s better if you don’t need to stop in during the late hours. If you need to, make sure you can see the clerk. If the clerk looks busy or what appears to be normal, good.
If the clerk has a wide-eyed look like he’s just finished his or her 25 cup of coffee, don’t go in. It might be there is nothing to it but it won’t hurt to wait and see—at a distance. Back out and if you have that funny feeling that something is wrong, call 911.
Sometimes this means nothing. Sometimes the store clerk is in the back stocking the freezer but it won’t hurt to take a couple of minutes to be sure of what you’re seeing.
ATM
At night—stay away unless it’s an emergency and running out of money at the strip club is not a good example of an emergency run to the ATM. Even during the day, choose an ATM location that is not in an isolated area.
The more customers around the better. Get your card out and get your business done quickly. Don’t pull over and start fiddling around with your wallet or cash or whatever.
Drive away from the ATM. Some of our ATM robberies occurred as a result of the bad guys hiding near the machine and approaching the victim during the transaction or just after.
They walked up from behind so while you’re at the machine, check the mirrors. No one should be violating that personal space around your car. If they do, drive off. Action is quicker than reaction right?
In the Car
No one can carjack you when the car is moving. When you’re parking the car or getting into the car is when you’re most vulnerable.
In the example above, the victim saw the two people and it was odd to him that they stood out in that they didn’t fit the corporate parking lot area, just sitting in the car in an isolated part of the parking deck.
He dismissed it and paid no attention to them. Look ahead and take some action if this kind of scenario pops up. It may never happen to you but take the hint if it presents itself to you.
The best source of information on everything I’m talking about here is your good ol’ beat cop. Ask him or her. They’re a great source for local crime and crime prevention information and most aren’t a bit shy about laying it out there without all that political correctness the command staff observes.
Find out about where you live, you work, and where you frequent. It’s good information and will put a little more luck on your side.
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Crime & punishment
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
From the Sandy Springs police blotter:
Robbery
The clerk of Smoke 9-1-1 on Roswell Road reported an early morning robbery. A man wearing a black jacket, blue scarf and blue tennis shoes, came in and asked to see two pipes and a weight scale. While the clerk showed these items, the man pulled a handgun from his waistband; something that he was not accustomed to doing evident by the fact that the gun went off. Unfortunately he was not injured and continued with the robbery. He took a small amount of cash and a couple of pipes and a scale. (Sounds like he was hitting the pipe before the robbery too.) He left in a silver Nissan Altima driven by another male.
A man walked into a hair salon int he 200 block of Northwood Drive and pulled a gun. He told the employee to give him the money. The man forced the employee to hand over a small amount of cash. He then fled on foot.
Assault
A man reported that he left the a billards hall around 2:15 a.m. On the way to his car, someone came up and hit him in the face with a hard object, possibly a pipe. The unknown suspect fled. The victim was taken to the hospital. He said he did not have any altercations inside the bar and didn’t know why anyone would attack him.
Stolen Vehicles A man reported that someone took his silver Ford F-150 pickup truck from a parking lot in the 1100 block of Mt. Vernon Hwy. Inside the truck was the victim’s 40 caliber Glock, Model 27.
Thefts
A man reported that his roommate brought home a friend who seemed interested in his cell phone. The next day, the phone was gone. He believes the man took it.
Police were called by a man and his wife who said that while they were eating dinner, in the 1100 block of Perimeter Center West, the victim’s husband noticed a man sitting nearby, adjusting his chair as to bring him closer to her purse which was placed on another chair. (This is a No-No.) They found that her wallet was missing from the purse and later someone attempted to use the card for a $400 charge at Target. NEVER let your purse occupy the chair next to your or worse, hang it over the back of your chair so that it’s hanging on the outside of the chair behind you. Sit it on the floor between your legs with the darn thing zipped up and perhaps duct taped to the legs of the chair! Don’t make it easy for these clowns!
A man called the police after he accidentally left his phone at the Western Union office on Roswell Road. He told officers that he remembered the phone and by the time he returned to the office, an hour had passed and the phone was gone. He checked the video and saw that a black female had taken it. He called the phone and spoke to a female who said her name was Jaquita. She said she would meet him the following morning and would return the phone at the Wendy’s on Roswell Road for a $25 fee. The officer later called her and she told him that she would bring the phone back but she has yet to show.
A woman reported that while she was teaching a class, a man removed all of her cash from her purse. The man appeared to be a parent of one of the children in the class but apparently was posing as one to commit the theft.
A woman called and said she received an e-mail from Bank of America stating they had noticed unusual activity on her bank card and needed to verify it. She gave them her SSN, account number, and DOB. Later, she said she thought about it and contacted Bank of America and was told they do not solicit info that way.
Banks will NEVER solicit the customer’s personal info in this manner, especially by e-mail. Secured PIN numbers are always requested. If you receive any unsolicited e-mail from a bank or other financial institution, call that bank or company and inquire. Chances are it will save you some headaches.
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Crime & punishment
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
From the Sandy Springs police blotter:
Burglary
Several units of a residential area on Abernathy Road that was under construction were burglarized. Kitchen appliances were taken.
Someone forced entry into a business office in the 8200 block of Roberts Drive and took two flat-screen televisions.
Someone forcibly entered an apartment in the 200 block of Summit Place by prying a back door. They took an X-Box 360 game system and games, $200 cash, and a puppy.
Theft
A man went into the store in the 8200 block of Roswell Road and stole a can of tobacco snuff and then ran out, got into a car and left. (You know you’re addicted to tobacco when you’re risking jail for a can of dip.)
A woman reported that she left her cell phone on her desk while she attended a meeting. When she returned, the phone was gone.
A man said that he put his wallet in a drawer of his home on Marchand Court prior to having guests over. One of the guest saw him put the wallet in there. The victim later found several credit cards were missing and had been used. He believes the person he suspects did it because she has a history of it.
A woman said someone took her wallet from her purse that she described as left in “plain view” behind her desk. She said that she left her office unlocked while she left for a brief time. The only thing the victim left out was a sign telling everyone where her purse was. Use your noggin folks.
A woman reported that someone took her wallet from her purse while the purse was in the ‘steal me’ position of her shopping cart. She said she did not see anyone or any suspicious activity but did admit the purse was open, exposing the wallet.
A young man said he bought a Jeep from an associate for $700. The associate was supposed to obtain the title from his father and then send it. Later, the Jeep was taken from the victim’s apartment parking lot. He believes the man who sold it to him took the Jeep because he had an extra key. The victim has no paperwork on the car so the VIN is not available to place on GCIC as stolen. The car had an Iowa tag but the victim didn’t know the tag number. I used the word “young” man (above) because the word “stupid” was maybe a bit too harsh but not too far off. How unprepared for life are you when you buy a can and don’t even know the tag number or have any paperwork in your hands before you fork over $700? In my new book entitled “What the $@(*& Were You Thinking??!!” I discuss this problem.
Motor Vehicle Theft
1900 block of Sandalwood Drive 30350 2/10 Long story short: A guy lets another guy stay with him a couple of days while they go on a booze-binge. Later, the guy who came to stay with him left with the guy’s car.
Einstein of the week:
A traffic-unit officer was on Heards Road when he stopped a car for speeding in the school zone. The driver, age 18, spoke to the officer and then gave his license to him. The officer noticed the license had some “stuff” (the legal term we use when we’re not yet sure what it is) on the driver’s license. Upon looking at it closely, the officer noted a look and then a smell of marijuana on the driver’s license. The officer returned to the car and then detected an odor ofmarijuana in the car. (At this point the driver was whining or perhaps complaining that he was going to be late for school—sounded more like whining.) This scenario is called “Really Good Probable Cause” and ended up with the officer confiscating just over two ounces of pot and to boot, the license was a fake that he bought over the Internet. He was arrested and he was late for class.
Scam of the week:
Hello Friend,
I bring greettings to you with peace and love… It’s my great pleasure to let you know about me My name is Mss. Luzann Ray 25yrs old; single, never married, a Daughter of (Late Chief Dr.Raymond Fomba) Who lost his life as a result of the civil war that happened in my country. I am presentely living with a harity home organization here in Dakar. However i am writting you for a strong relationship and also for business purpose or partner,I have the mind to transfer some fund and make an investment in your country; any away you will have get back to me first so that we could discuss it better on how its goes. I am waiting to receive from you as soon as possible.bye for now and hope you continue to be blessed.
Yours Sincerely, Luzann Ray
We tell people to watch the spelling!
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If it’s too good to be true, it probably is
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Scams are alive and well.
Just when you thought we were doing quite well losing money the old fashion-way - through various money markets and retirement accounts and beyond - the familiar scams pop up from time to time.
You know the ones I’m talking about: the Internet scams, the old ‘found money’ or Pigeon Drop .
There are a dozen variations but the fundamentals are the same: The perp approaches a victim with “found” money and asks for advice on what to do. Phone numbers are exchanged. The perp entices the victim with a “reward” or “split of the money” scenario if nobody claims it.
And, the perp makes sure to say, there is a lot of money involved.
Perp has “associate” or “boss” who assists in advice. That person is usually male and begins to slowly intimidate the victim. “Don’t tell anyone or you’ll screw this up for us.”
The perp’s associate suggests putting up earnest money or money to cover future taxes, usually several thousand dollars. The hook: Victim become first greedy, then intimidated and does not reveal her (victim is usually a female) doubts so the victim begins to funnel money to the perps. Once they feel they’ve gotten all they’ll get, they’re gone. (You’re saying: Who would fall for that? Lots of folks—fast money opportunity—something for nothing?
This scam has several variations.
Police “bait” scam. The initial part of the scam, the found money part, takes place but then the “police” contact the victim and wants assistance in catching the crooks. They ask the victim to put up bait money to trap them.
Phony stock deal. I’ve seen this one out here a couple of times. Two females in business attire make contact with a potential victim in the parking lot of a large retail store. They tell the victim they are going to set up a tent and then, for a limited time, offer that company’s stock for only ten-percent of the current stock price. If the victim takes the bait, they urge the victim to withdraw the funds and return. One associate takes the funds (cash) into the store to the “office” but they’re out the other door in no time and gone. The second associate excuses herself and is soon gone.
The poor guy from a third-world country who doesn’t know about banks in this country. A man approaches the intended victim and asks for a ride and then pulls out a wad of cash offering to pay for the ride. The victim says “Why do you have that much cash? You’ll get mugged. Why don’t you put it in the bank? The perp tells the victim that in his country the banks are run by crooks. (I know what you’re going to say.) Right about this time another man, who is, in fact, the partner of the first perp, walks up from nowhere and tells the man he overheard his conversation and that he should indeed put the money in the bank. At this point he says to the poor immigrant “In this country, we use checks. I don’t happen to have one but this gentleman probably does.”
The victim says “Oh yes” and holds up the check so that the perps can see the account number and the rest is history. The other variation of this one is they go to an ATM and the victim shows how that process works. They get his PIN number. The only drawback for the crooks on this one is they must later steal his ATM card—generally while they’re all in the same car.
Now, you must be saying to yourself, “Who would fall for this?” Well more people than you could imagine do fall for this and a number of other scams.
Potential victims, regular folks, shy away from the awkward task of being skeptical. That’s why seniors are the prime victims of cons involving phony “nest egg” quick investment return deals or home repair scams and a dozen other things. Scam artists talk too much. They get the victim involved in listening and then, hopefully, confused.
A good quality for anyone to have is a polite sense of skepticism. Questioning someone who offers a “too good to be true” deal will usually crumble the phony sales pitch or “deal” they’ve set up for you.
Although these con artists are good, they don’t have a plan B or C if you start asking questions.
Now go forth and do good.
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Hey, that’s a stop sign stupid!
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
We’re not the most studious of species when it comes to using our brains and driving at the same time, especially when it comes to four way stop signs.
We just don’t do that well.
Most traffic complaints come in two forms. Stop signs and speeding. Since I don’t like to drive over 50 MPH, I chose to look at some of the four way stop sign complaints.
I picked out an intersection listed on the complaint log and headed out. In order for me not to have to write a ticket, I parked my police car right up next to the intersection so that those traveling in any of the four directions could easily see me. The plan was to park the big police car up where everyone can see me and sit there for a while so that the drivers could see me and they would stop and then when they got home, they would call and / or e-mail all their friends and relatives that the cops were watching that intersection and thus, as I calculated it, thousands of potential traffic offenders would then observe the stop signs and life again, would be good.
The potential offenders would avoid a ticket, the complainers would see the cops at the intersection and sleep well and I could sit there for a while and surf the Internet while pretending to look intimidating in my sunglasses and stern look.
That was the plan.
As life often does, the events did not go as well as I hoped. I was just about to check out Oprah’s Book of the Month on her website when a big ol’ BMW came right through the intersection and she never slowed one bit. She never saw me because she had a cell phone up to her ear and was engrossed in deep conversation. This was more than even I could ignore—mostly because two other cars at the intersection who did stop were looking at me.
Oprah would have to wait.
I put the car in gear, pushed my sunglasses down to give me that even more stern look and off I went at speeds that hit almost 30 MPH. Fortunately the lady in the big ol’ BMW was still on the phone and had no clue I was behind her—which suited me fine since I was trying find the blue light button on the control panel. (Last time I did this I accidentally opened the hood.) I found it, turned it on and commenced to pulling that BMW over.
She didn’t pull over.
I turned on every light that car had, enough to be seen in space, but she kept right on going.
I had no choice but to activate the siren which I did and which did get her attention real quick. She made a right turn into her subdivision and pulled over. I checked the tag on my super police laptop computer after minimizing Oprah’s website and then checked myself out in the rear view mirror to be sure I had that very stern look on my face, and I got out of the car—keep in mind that I was wearing about fifteen pounds of belt-ridden equipment and a Kevlar vest.
As I got out I prayed that all that weight wouldn’t send me right to the ground as I exited the Tahoe. I’d look like a turtle, rolling back and forth to get off my back. I have to admit that regardless of how they improve Kevlar (bullet-proof) vests, they’re still damn uncomfortable. I looked like Frankenstein with a stern look walking up to that big ol’ BMW.
Well, by the time I got up there, she had her license out and had moved the phone to the other ear so she could hear me better. I didn’t say “Do you know why I stopped you?” I never say that. I figure you know or if you don’t, I’ll tell you.
Anyway, she must have called her neighbor friend who, by the time I got her license and put on my reading glasses, came down the street and stood by the big ol’ BMW. She waved at me so I waved back and then did the Frankenstein lumbering walk back to the Tahoe to check out her driver’s license on the computer.
By the time I got the return on the license, two more friends showed up. They waved so I waved back. I got out of the Tahoe, did the Frankenstein thing back to her car, waiting a couple of minutes for girls to conclude their conversation about how exciting it was to get pulled over so could lecture the driver. I told ladies that we were going to be at the intersection off and on because of the complaints we received but I had decided not to issue a citation, mainly because she was polite and seemed to understand the need to obey stop signs.
What I didn’t say was that I had left my pen on my desk at the station.
Everyone has a lucky day now and then.
