View from the cop: Crime & punishment
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AJC.com > Metro > View from the cop > Archives > 2006 > June > 28 > Entry
Almost ready to hit the streets
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
We reached the final week before we kick off the new police department. The training has been at a steady pace and we’re making the small adjustments to the uniforms and police gear. Most of the equipment has been issued.
The cars are set up and are ready to go July 1. I have received a lot of mail asking if there are pictures of turtles on the cars. No, there are none.
The badges arrived. I will post a photo of them soon. They are really rare looking. There are no turtles on the badges or the patches. The city adopted a new logo recently. There are no turtles on the logo.
Our cars will be out on the street at midnight. (For those of you in the burglary business, we will sneak the other cars out a couple of hours earlier to mix with the Fulton County Police cars.) From the City Hall complex, we will drive 3o or so cars, two by two, blue lights flashing, onto Roswell Road and then south.
This will accomplish two things: First, it will be very festive, making a grand entrance for the media guys. Secondly, it should scare the hell out of the customers at the massage parlor across the street.
The fact is that we’re all ready to get out and start policing. We want to get out there and do what we do which is make the streets safe for soccer moms, Jeffrey the homeless guy, the drunk Elvis impersonator and the guy in the turtle costume, as well as all the customers at the Waffle House.
Comments
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By Michael
June 28, 2006 7:28 AM | Link to this
Here we go, more seatbelt violations, expired tags and “can we search your car?” Any heads up on where the speed traps will be?
By LD
June 28, 2006 7:43 AM | Link to this
God bless each and every one of you Steve and hey, be careful out there.
By ec
June 28, 2006 8:47 AM | Link to this
good…. now get out and start cleaning up little mexico
By Ralph
June 28, 2006 10:07 AM | Link to this
Steve,
Seeing how the majority of the new SSPD officers came from Fulton PD, what is Fulton PD doing in light of the new SSPD? How is this affecting their north precinct patrol beats? It seems that Fulton PD will only have the beats in Dunwoody and north of the river. Good luck with the start up on July 1.
By cnl
June 28, 2006 10:16 AM | Link to this
Michael….wear the belts, buy the tag, keep the speed with in 10 of the limit,and leave your dope at home..trust me…you will have nothing to worry about
By Danny
June 28, 2006 11:49 AM | Link to this
We don’t need no stinkin’ badges!
By curious
June 28, 2006 12:39 PM | Link to this
would like to see how your command structure is set up, with names, like who is doing what in the new department
By Gene Melton
June 28, 2006 12:51 PM | Link to this
Steve, after many years of service with a local county police department around Atlanta I have retired. I watched police work go from fighting crime to write as many tickets as you can because the coffers are low. Yes believe it or not police departments really no longer care about fighting crime, they care only for how much money is generated through tickets. I hope the new Sandy Springs police department is different, but sadly I feel they too will sacrifice crime fighting to ticket writing. By the way Steve, although not with the same department, you and I handled a couple of calls together many years ago.
By ME Man
June 28, 2006 1:44 PM | Link to this
Steve, like the comments about revenue. Try not to make SS like the other city’s in the metro that are bent on writing as many speeding tickets and DUI’s as possible.
By Turtle
June 28, 2006 3:18 PM | Link to this
Good - drive all 30 cars out of the City Hall ,parade down Roswell Rd, cross 285, and and conduct business there for the next 6 months until all apts are cleaned up. I will gladly volunteer to do the food run to Landmark Diner for you guys.
By C.M.
June 28, 2006 4:59 PM | Link to this
OK! When are you guys going to put in for your raises?
By Blackberry
June 28, 2006 6:13 PM | Link to this
Judging by the fact that this is a new department and that their jurisdiction is relatively small, you can be pretty much assured they spend a lot of time in the revenue generating business. They do have some serious crime in SS, but I am guessing most of that work will be handed off to the incompetent Fulton depo.
You can look to other departments in the area for an idea of how this will turn out. The Doraville PD spends most of their time buying muscle cars and chasing speeders on I285 when they aren’t stuffing bags of dope down their pants on warrantless searches. The Roswell PD is another bunch of characters. Charged with patrolling a mix of affluent and immigrant areas they are ripe with inconsistent application of the law.
I say all this with the understanding that law enforcement is a required and important element in the social contract. It has just gotten like the rest of government, bloated and unresponsive to the community.
If Sandy Springs PD manages to be any different, it will certainly be a welcome change….
By Michael
June 28, 2006 8:16 PM | Link to this
I think i lived in Gene Melton’s house (in Lithonia) when i was in law school many years ago. And I work in lawrenceville, home of the speed trap, seatbelt and expired tag violations. L’vl made $2 million on ticket writing last year.
By Waring Murray
June 28, 2006 9:59 PM | Link to this
Well… ……JUST BE CAREFUL OUT THERE….. the world and Sandy Springs will have their share of idiots tryin to undo the good you may do
By Lily
June 29, 2006 12:26 PM | Link to this
Wear your seatbelt, don’t speed and don’t drink and drive. If you do that, you won’t have to worry about tickets. Laws are written for a reason. They are meant for all of us. That means you too.