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.
AJC.com > Metro > View from the cop > Archives > 2007 > December > 03 > Entry
Arrest report: Preying on purses
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
These are some, but not all, incidents reported to the Sandy Springs Police over the past week.
I hate to pick on victims but doing this makes it so easy to steal:
The victim reported that someone took several items from her pocketbook that was under her desk. Wallet, credit cards and $11 cash. For those of you who work in the Perimeter Center West area, we have had two of these close together in time and location meaning an office creeper is working the area. DO NOT put your purse under the desk. Although this may come as a shock, that area is not invisible. Don’t make it easy. Don’t keep your credit cards and cash, driver’s license and other sensitive items there. Put them in your pocket.
A woman reported that while she was placing items in her car in the 6300 block of Roswell Road, she placed her purse on the bumper of her car. Another car drove by and a man grabbed the purse. The car he was in, a gold Chevrolet Malibu, drove away.
HERE ME NOW! The purse should be the FIRST thing you put in your car.
Getaway cart Howard Hunt, 30, was arrested at the Kroger Store on Sandy Springs Place, after he did a mad dash with a shopping cart full of Bic lighters, soft drink bottles, and a deli chicken. It’s hard to successfully run away with a shopping cart because they have a lousy turn radius. Their design is for low speed and cargo. Running at top end and turning presents the likelihood that it will tip. By the way, he had 32 lighters.
Comments
Commenting is now closed for this entry.
By Andreas
December 3, 2007 11:16 AM | Link to this
That should be “Hear me now”.
By Cubby
December 3, 2007 1:55 PM | Link to this
I learned the shopping cart turning radius limitations the hard way. We used to race them in the California hills when I was a teen. I ended face first on plenty of lawns.
By Fred
December 3, 2007 4:42 PM | Link to this
Nice try Steve but you are wasting your breath. I tell my wife the same things you just wrote about and make her read every column you do on this subject. While she has gotten much better she still is frivolous with her purse. She, like most people I think, has the “it won’t happen to me” mentality. They will only learn when it DOES happen to them.
By El Bubba
December 3, 2007 6:37 PM | Link to this
I was in the grocery the other day, it was busy and there were two women (two carts) with kids. One woman looked at her kid and said “Watch the purses!” I thought to myself, Lt. Steve would be proud!
By been there
December 3, 2007 7:00 PM | Link to this
Be careful about asking the kids to watch your purse. My purse was snatched several years ago as my 10 year old daughter was standing right next to the cart watching it. She screamed and wanted to pursue the thief and I had to hold her back and assure her it was not her fault. I’d rather lose the purse than the daughter.
Now my purse is either on my person, buckled into the cart and zipped, or buried in the bottom of the cart under the groceries. Yes, it is the first thing to go in the car, and I lock the car while I’m putting away the cart, while watching the car hoping no one pulls a smash and grab, which also happened recently during a ten minute absence from my car in broad daylight.
There are a lot of bad guys out there, even in ‘good’ areas, so be careful.
By laurie g
December 3, 2007 9:56 PM | Link to this
I have always thought that a little business card that says “While your back was turned…I could have stolen your purse” might be helpful to slip in pocketbooks left open in shopping carts.
I always keep mine on my arm while in stores but Steve, you have sensitized me to this and it would be REALLY easy to just snag someone’s purse if I wanted to. Why don’t these women realize this??
By Tiny Tim
December 4, 2007 6:03 AM | Link to this
With 32 lighters, imagine the cabal of concert goers waving lit lighters in the air to a Hannah Montanna ballad? Life would be good for them my friend, and the vibe would spread sweet for every single bic flicker as they swayed in unison to the groove.
By missandie
December 4, 2007 8:57 AM | Link to this
As difficult as it is, each holiday season, I go “purse lite” from Black Friday to shortly after Christmas. I still carry a purse but it only contains those things that are easily replaced - lipstick, tissues, snacks for the kid, cough drops and such. Because the weather has turned cooler, I place my car keys in my jacket pocket and a small wallet, which holds cash, ID and cards, in my front pants pocket. Some years ago, my purse was snactched a week before Christmas. Not only did the thief get my cell phone and cash, but they also got my credit card, ATM card, ID and house/car keys. I was able to reach the credit cards company and have the house and car re-keyed before any damage was done but it took forever to get everything replaced, especially the credit and ATM cards. Replacements did not come until after Christmas. I learned a very valuable lesson and hope someone else can as well.
By Connie Jenkins
December 4, 2007 11:06 AM | Link to this
Hi Steve, Just read the article about theft of purse contents. Despite how it looks, when I go shopping I wear a fanny pack and keep my large bills in the section next to my body. So far, on one has ever taken it from me.
By Connie Jenkins
December 4, 2007 11:10 AM | Link to this
Hi Steve, Just read the article about theft of purse contents. Despite how it looks, when I go shopping I wear a fanny pack and keep my large bills in the section next to my body. So far, on one has ever taken it from me.