View from the cop: Crime & punishment
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AJC.com > Metro > View from the cop > Archives > 2007 > April > 19 > Entry
Prom season advice for parents
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
For those of you with prom candidates, it’s time for that little talk about drinking. Don’t forget that even though your intent is to keep them off the street, getting them a room and ALLOWING drinking is against the law and putting you in a serious liability category. One of Newton’s earliest theories was that you cannot contain drunk teenagers so even if you got them a room, they will, sooner or later wander.
Parents putting coolers in the limo andor giving the driver a few bucks to make a beer stop is a no-no. Your stance should be No Tolerance. No doubt that some of them will find a way however you would be surprised at how many parents give the okay to drink, thinking that if you take away the keys, you eliminate the possibility of disaster. I know there will be a bunch of sneaking around but don’t sign off on allowing alcohol.
TRAFFIC FATALITY
We had a traffic fatality this weekend. Early on Saturday morning a car, driven by two young girls, ages 21 and 23, lost control and hit a brick sign and then a tree on Dunwoody Place near Roberts Drive. Neither occupant had a seat belt on.
DRIVE BY THEFTS This is from a woman who was at the Starbucks on West Paces Ferry. this week at 7:15 p.m.: My 9 year old son and I were sitting outside the Starbucks. My purse was on the sidewalk by my feet. A blond, white female - mid to late 20s - jogged by, leaned over and snatched my purse. Having had a difficult day already, I was just mad enough to take off after her screaming like a banshee for someone to stop her. I had several men that were about to intercept her, coming from the Chevron at the corner, but a dark colored Honda pulled up, driven by a black male, and she jumped in. The license plate on the Honda was stolen off an Altima so this was clearly premeditated. Furthermore, upon reflection, I believe there was a third “look out” involved, an older blonde female driving an old Mercedes parked in front of the Starbucks.”
Good example that crooks plan things out so remember that everything is RISK vs OPPORTUNITY. Just remove the opportunity. Put your purse down between your feet or leave it in the trunk or sit it in the chair with you or strap it somewhere. The best piece of crime prevention here is just knowing that this can happen.
GYPSIES
We’ve been getting some information from some of the Gypsy community members regarding some scams in the area. Although the initial information is vague, it addresses the activity that includes roofing scams, asphalt and car-body work scams, and fortune telling rip-offs. Most of the information deals with seniors. Another popular approach is the “Sugar-Daddy” scam where an elderly man is befriended by a woman who then coerces him to begin buying for her. I think this last one is more global than restricted to the gypsy community.
VOLUNTEERS
We are going to kick off a program using civilian volunteers. You may or may not know that we have a horrendous false-alarm problem in Sandy Springs. We average between 600-800 false alarms each month. Multiply that by 30-minutes average for each call and you get some serious wasted time that could be better applied in patrol time. We plan to use volunteers to gather and maintain data on these alarms and then expand the functions to include proactive projects to lower and keep the numbers of false alarms as low as possible. Volunteers will have an office at police headquarters. We will conduct background checks on all applicants so please don’t apply only to have us unleash some skeletons in your closet!
Although we haven’t set any timelines yet, we are looking at 15-20 hours of volunteer time each month.
If you are interested, e-mail me at steve.rose@sandyspringsga.org.
FEEDBACK Got something you want to send out or say? Send it to me at steve.rose@sandyspringsga.org
I received a couple of e-mails regarding scams and so forth having to do with consumer products. Here’s the state office to contact for CONSUMER PROTECTION:
Governor’s Office of Consumer Affairs 2 Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive Suite 356 Atlanta, GA 30334 404-656-3790 404-651-9018 FAX 800-869-1123 (toll free) www.2.state.ga.us/gaoca
Comments
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By lovelyliz
April 19, 2007 2:02 PM | Link to this
Your kids won’t do anything on prom night that they aren’t doing already.
By carol
April 19, 2007 2:41 PM | Link to this
But will they be doing on something prom night that they never do? There is a first time for everything.
By leah
April 19, 2007 4:04 PM | Link to this
Visit www.prmtxt.orgto send a safe prom text message to your teen on prom night.
By OldSchool
April 19, 2007 5:40 PM | Link to this
Some years back, I was chaperoning our high school prom when my friend/colleague got the phone call no parent expects to get. Her son and his date had been in a wreck and she was needed at the emergency room. The injuries were bad but not life-threatening and both teens learned the “don’t drink and drive” lesson the hard way.
That same night, at least 2 sets of parents were hosting parties WITH alcohol at their homes for far too many teens. I can’t imagine the thrill of being the “cool” parent is worth the risk of losing a child to an accident. Too few “cool” parents get caught.
By gateacher
April 20, 2007 6:43 AM | Link to this
Kids don’t have to do it all by the time they are out out high school They should save some ‘first time’ life experiences for their 20’s.
By gateacher
April 20, 2007 6:43 AM | Link to this
Kids don’t have to do it all by the time they are out out high school They should save some ‘first time’ life experiences for their 20’s.
By Lynn
April 20, 2007 7:05 AM | Link to this
Reports of “cars losing control” drive me NUTS! The car doesn’t lose control; the driver loses control. Cars are never supposed to have control, unless there’s some new autopilot thingey I haven’t heard about.
By Lee
April 20, 2007 7:17 AM | Link to this
Regarding proms and stretch limo’s….
I used to think renting a limo for the prom to be extravagant. However, it seems like each prom season, we hear about the death of a student involved in a car crash on prom night.
Personally, I’d much rather my daughter be driven around by a professional chauffeur than to be piled in a SUV with six other kids and a distracted 17 year old at the wheel.
Besides, when 6-8 people share the costs, it’s really not that much per person.
By JJ
April 20, 2007 8:08 AM | Link to this
I’m with you Lee. For Homecoming, my daughter and 4 of her friends were able to get a stretch limo. We knew the driver, and he did a great job with the kids. He took them to the restaurant they picked out, and drove them to the dance, then picked them up and delivered them safely at the home of one of the girls. It cost each parent $50. Like I said, we knew the driver, so he gave us a great rate.
I would rather pay for a limo, than get the phone call…….
By prompattysaunt
April 20, 2007 8:20 AM | Link to this
My nephew was so drunk at his senior prom that he was not allowed to even enter. How often do you get to spend a night at Tavern on the Green…then not remember it? He was so far gone that his (infuriated & embarrassed) parents had to retrieve him. The chaperones would not release him to anyone else. Good for them! He was way, way, way beyond incoherent. Someone’s (idiot) older brother had mixed a sweet concoction for the kids to “enjoy” in the limo, on the way into the city.
I will never understand why parents encourage their kids to particpate in adult activities when the kids are obviously too immature to handle such situations. Although they may look and dress like adults, for the most part, they are kids trapped in adult bodies. I agree with gateacher. What’s the rush?
By Michael
April 20, 2007 8:42 AM | Link to this
I just hope their are plenty of DUI roadblocks so me and my buddies can make a fortune off all the DUI and drug possession arrests. I love the Spring!