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 > 2008 > July
July 2008
Where’s the good “breaking news”?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
How did we ever manage to call ourselves informed before all this news that we now receive via anything? Satellites, beaming thousands of “jigowatts” through hyperspace can take us anywhere in a moment’s time.
Great! Now we can be paranoid 24/7 instead of 6 and 11.
With so much news, what are we doing with it? Do we need to know all of the news? Like anything else, if you give someone so much of something that they hit the saturation point, they won’t get quite as excited over it, quite as often.
Here’s another problem. It used to be when you saw “Breaking News,” it meant something very serious like an earthquake, Tsunami, or the new Zamboni previews.
Now, thanks to 24-hour news, “Breaking News” is everywhere, all the time. Used to be when I saw the “Breaking News” across the screen, I got that bad feeling in my stomach signaling that either something really, really bad had happened or my trip to “Miguel’s House of the Spicy Burrito” was about to come back on me.
In 1979, “Breaking News” was the Iranian hostage crisis. In 2008, it’s about a 73-year old Dutch man who unwittingly cultivated marijuana plants among his begonias. Here was the “Breaking News”:
Amsterdam cops found the marijuana in the man’s doorstep begonia plants but didn’t get too upset because the man was in his “advanced” years.
The man, who answered the door in his tie-dye AARP shirt, said he was very surprised. “I thought that the plants were my beloved begonias. Honest.”
Cops later found several burnt begonia joints which they originally deemed “suspicious” however once the man explained their medicinal benefit, being their aphrodisiac effect, they seemed satisfied he was on the level.
The man said he was minding his own business, making begonia brownies, munching on some Doritos, and watching a Three Stooges video when the cops came a knockin’. Reporters later questioned cops about the man’s claim about the “medicinal aphrodisiac” effect of begonias.
A police spokesman responded: “Dude, its Amsterdam. Besides, we called his doctor and told him to notify us if he calls in four hours so we can confirm his story.”
Breaking news needs to be breaking news that will stop us in our tracks. The competition for news is getting out of control. We get enough bad news during the day. We don’t need more bad news delivered as “Breaking News.”
How about “Good Breaking News?” How about the tearful story about the 5-year old boy who left the day care center in Denton Texas? That started out as bad news. They found him at Hooters. That’s equates to good news. That kid’s five and he gets it—you know, great wings, breaded and all.
How about the all-green police vehicle in the UK? It goes 30 mph. (Oh yeah, you’d like that wouldn’t you?)
How about the NASA astronaut Edgar Mitchell who says aliens are real and NASA knows it! Or the courts in New Zealand who finally had enough of weird parents naming their kids weird names. They officially made 9-year-old “Talula Does the Hula From Hawaii” a ward of the court and had her renamed something with much less syllables.
New Zealand Registration officials blocked some other names, including Fish and Chips, Yeah Detroit, Keenan Got Lucy and Sex Fruit, said Judge Rob Mirfitt. But others were allowed, including Number 16 Bus Shelter, Moon Unit, and Dweezeil, he said.
I guess the moral of the story is it’s probably a good habit not to get too excited over “Breaking News” unless you know it has something to do with murder, death, grief, and sorrow. Bad news will come soon enough and remember, you don’t need technology to tell you that something really, really bad is going to happen. Just keep an eye on your pets.
Animals know when bad things area about to happen before we do. If your poodle is backed into a corner, smoking a cigarette and doing shots of Cuervo—well, better turn on the TV.
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Watch out for the M-Factor when riding on two wheels
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Seems like we’re seeing more ads telling us to toss away those car keys and climb onto the 2-wheeler and off you go!
Sixty miles to the gallon and half the parking hassle! Finally, a solution to the Saudi oil hostage crisis that’s sent us out of our minds and into the bars where we boo-hoo into our import beers.
Well, before you get on that Vespa, remember there’s one big factor you need to take into account. Besides not being fun to ride in the rain, there’s the M-Factor.
Think of how many near misses you have had over the past couple of years. I have easily four or five a year. Three of them involve some moron making a left turn, all the while gabbing on the cellphone. (Hence the M-Factor.) Just about all of the motor officers I know have at least a couple of stories where they had to lay the bike down or T-boned someone who cut in front of them.
A recent article pointed out the increasing number of traffic accidents involving motorcycles both in the city and out in the burbs. I think the article was accompanied by a photo of a guy with two broken elbows. Ouch.
City traffic can be brutal and although they’re not hitting the higher speeds, well, there’s no such thing as a fender bender when you’re riding a motorcycle.
Atlanta isn’t exactly the example of stellar driving. In fact, I’m sure we’re pretty well down in the standings and you don’t have to drive too long or far to see why. If you’re going to buy that Harley or Vespa or whatever, make sure you look into a motorcycle safety course or maybe get your head examined. Not everyone needs to be on two wheels. Make sure you’re sense of defensive driving is peaking because you’re going to need all your senses to get home safely.
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Crime & Punishment
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
A sampling of reports filed with Sandy Springs police:
Robbery
A man, working for a landscape company, reported that he was working in a yard in the 5300 block of Northside Drive when a man came up behind him, pulled a gun, reached into his pockets and retrieved his keys to the truck. The truck was later found abandoned in Atlanta. The GPS in the victim’s cellphone allowed the officers to track the truck. No arrests at this time.
Burglary
A Metro PCS tower on Northside Drive was entered and several computer components were taken. The burglars cut the lock to the outside gate to get in.
A representative reported that someone pried a door open in an office in the 4800 block of Roswell Road and took two Mac computers. Another office in the same building was also entered.
Apartment burglary in the 1000 block of Brentwood Way-The victim’s rear glass door was shattered by a flower pot and several items were taken. The victim thinks the suspect could be a local juvenile.
A male burglarized the Cozy Corner Café located inside the office building at 6190 Powers Ferry Road. The burglar used a key and then took a small amount of cash. Video shows a 40-45 year old black male in jeans and a blue t-shirt. The man has a bald spot on his head that he later covered with a white hat with a brim all around it.
Police received a call from an Atlanta Gas employee doing work on Pine Lake Drive. The man said it appeared the home was forcibly entered. Officer found that it had and several rooms had been ransacked.
A resident of the Park Towers on Hammond Drive said someone entered the apartment, without forced entry, and took two televisions. She suspects a previous tenant who offered to sell the televisions to her and apparently wanted the money or the rest of the money. He called her while she was gone. She told him she was not there and she thinks he used his old key to get in.
Thefts
Leasing office personnel at Colonial Grand Apartments reported someone entered the office area and took several pictures from the wall.
A woman reported that on several occasions, someone has entered her apartment in the 500 block of Abernathy Road even after she changed the deadbolt locks. She suspects a man who she said has made advances towards her in the past.
A man responded to an ad to sell an IPhone on Craigslist and made arrangements to buy it. The victim drove from Stockbridge to Sandy Springs, and met the man on the corner of Pitts and Colquitt Roads. The man got into the victim’s car and they drove to an apartment. The suspect asked if the victim had the money. He said yes and showed the money to the seller who then grabbed it and ran from the location. The victim said the cash amounted to $600.
A man reported someone cut the lock from his locker at the LA Fitness while he was working out. His wallet and I.D. and credit cards along with $100 cash are missing. Another theft was reported by a man who said his lock and property were taken.
The victim said someone forced entry into his truck while he was parked in the parking lot of Lowe’s. His wallet, laptop and several other items including a gun were taken. Another car, at the location, was broken into and the victim later reported an iPod missing.
A man reported that he let a woman in to his place on Northwood Drive so that she could take a shower. He said she was nice. The nice lady showered and then left along with the victim’s wallet, $140 cash and I.D. The woman is a known prostitute in the area.
A man reported that while he was shopping at a Kroger Store, a man walked up to him and offered to help him push the shopping cart all the while being “very talkative.” The victim later found the subject pick-pocketed him. Always beware of someone who just comes up to you, especially when you are shopping in a grocery or other retail store, and for no reason, starts grabbing your attention. That is always the M.O. for a distraction leading to a theft. Usually the victim is female and older. Zip the purse up so that no one can see inside it. If you’re smart, strap it to the cart. Although actual pick-pockets like this case are infrequent, it is still a good idea to place your wallet or credit cards and cash in a front pocket.
A building contractor building a new home, located in the 4600 block of Jett Road, reported $4,000 in copper was stolen from the home.
Forgery-Fraud-I.D. Theft
A woman reported that someone attempted to open two credit card accounts in her name and access personal information. The attempt was done online with the First National Bank of Omaha. (Check your credit history at least twice a year folks.)
Assault
A girlfriend-boyfriend combo, visiting a relative at an outpatient center, got into a domestic argument over the care of a newborn child the woman had in her arms. The argument became physical and security staff stepped in, separated the two and notified police. The responding officers arrested the male for biting his girlfriend and then arrested the girlfriend for an outstanding warrant in DeKalb County. (The girlfriend originally gave the officers a false name.) The newborn was later placed in the care of a relative.
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Crime & punishment
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Some reports filed with Sandy Springs police:
Robbery
A man reported that around midnight on the 4th of July he was at the intersection of Mystic Place and Mystic Drive when he was approached by three men demanding his money. He said he kicked one of the subjects and then ran to his residence. The victim said that he had been drinking a bit earlier in the evening.
Burglary
Officers responded to a residential alarm just before 5 a.m. in the 500 block of Highbrook Drive and found someone attempted to enter the home through a window. Officers found fresh footprints under the window and signs that entry was attempted. The alarm scared the intruder off before actually getting in. The officer found that the burglar got into the victim’s car but did not take anything. (ALARMS WORK; USE THEM)
Security video showed a pickup truck pulled up to a business in the 6300 block of Roswell Road and three males got out and made entry into a vacant office next to the intended target. They smashed the alarm with a sledge hammer and took a 42-inch TV.
Someone entered a home in the 100 block of Mt. Paran Rd. either through an unlocked door or window at the rear of the home while the owner was gone. The house appeared ransacked. A pistol and some jewelry are missing.
Forgery, Fraud, and I.D. Theft
Someone used the victim’s information to open three credit cards. The victim’s bank notified her and she later told the officer she suspects a sister whose apartment she was recently kicked out of.
Thefts
A 76-year old woman reported that she gave the clerk of a convenience store on Northside Drive a $100 bill for some peanuts and ten-dollars of gas (1 pint) and the clerk gave her back only change for a $20 bill which he contends she gave him. She then refused to accept the change and then called the police.
The builder of a home in the 300 block of Heards Ferry Road said that sometime over the past 2-3 months, someone took about $15,000 in copper wiring from the house.
Assault
A woman reported that she was at a bus stop on Buford Highway when two men stopped in a Honda and spoke with her. She said that she needed to go to Douglasville. The men said they would take her there. (1st clue-that’s a long way at these gas prices.) She got in but soon noticed they were not headed to Douglasville. She told them to take her back at which time she was assaulted by the men. She grabbed the keys and fled to a house on West Northway Lane, followed by one of the men. The homeowner appeared and the men fled. The officer noted the victim was intoxicated. It is possible that the woman originally agreed to do something in exchange for the ride or money or whatever but she claims no agreement was made other than for beer.
Other Stuff An officer was called to the Morgan Falls Dam area and spoke to Duane and Dan. Seems Duane and Dan, whom we’ll call D and D, had a dispute going on over the following: Dan said Duane rammed his canoe and damaged it, his fishing rod, and a paddle. He added that he fell out of the canoe and “almost drowned.” Dan’s cellphone is also at the bottom of the river as a result. Duane on the other hand said Dan kept crossing over his fishing lines and then rammed his canoe into Duane’s John Boat and then hit him several times on the arm causing a laceration and dislocated fingers. That, according to Duane, is how the paddle was damaged. They were referred to another authority. Would that authority be? Could it be Montel, the DNR, River Keepers Mediation Club, Jerry Springer, Dagmar Midcap or Uncle Dewey, who is a 2007 graduate of the Roosevelt Institute of Verbal Judo?
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An eye on crime keeps thieves away
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Since the beginning of time and man, back when the Stones had their first “final” tour, people figured out that good stuff is good to have.
At the same time, others who, too, liked the good stuff decided that working for it was hard to do so they made a deal with the devil and left their morals behind.
They decided stealing it was easier. Thus began the long back and forth—the whole crime thing.
O.K, we move forward several hundred—perhaps thousands of years to when the people with all the stuff realized they couldn’t control the bad people so they created the police.
This came about the time the Stones did their third, maybe fourth, “final” tour. What the police found was that the crooks weren’t necessarily that smart, but they were somewhat committed to stealing. In other words, if they see something, they take it, unlike us who stop to think about the consequences.
You should take heart in knowing that most of us are honest.
Of course, there are reasons we’re honest. Not all of us are because we’re brought up to be good moral souls of good faith and believe that it is wrong to steal. Those guys are called “Orthodox Honest People” or OHPs.
The fact is that many of us are honest because we believe that the one time we dip into the depths of the criminal cesspool, well, we’ll get caught. Murphy’s Law. Like my Uncle Dewey says: “Whatever keeps your fingers out of the cookie jar.” (It was actually one of the rare moments when he made sense.)
What the police found, after years of patrolling and looking for bad guys, was that crooks were good at moving fast to steal what they wanted but skittish about where they stole from. Seemed they didn’t like being caught. Ah hah! Now we had a plan to deter them thus the first concept of the Neighborhood Watch Program.
Early NW programs were basic. Each home was set on hundreds of acres of land so the owner of the house posted signs showing a moose trampling a man who was in the process of stealing a chicken.
The program proved difficult because of the price of moose so people soon started watching out for each other and talking. Soon Neighborhood Watches spread all across the land bringing new hope to victims of crimes and a new popularity to the moose world.
Fast forward again to the present. The Stones dropped the word “final” from their tour motto and Neighborhood Watch has proved an effective crime prevention tool. It is, in fact, the single most effective anti-crime program that you can participate in, outside of Alaska where you can still employ the moose.
If your police department has a NW, sign up or start your own program. Learn the benefits of risk vs opportunity and know how to make your home, car and, well you, unattractive to the crook.
It’s much cheaper than spreading moose poop around your house.
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Buckle up for a wild ride
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
What in the heck is going on America?
Gas prices are so bad we’re talking about the good old days when we were paying only three bucks a gallon. Fuel expenses are affecting everything else and now everything is expensive to do or buy or even rent. The mortgage crisis, thanks to the selfish idiots who ALL, in many of our opinions, need to be sitting in a cell, have driven folks out of their homes.
Investments and retirement funds are hurting. You may not be losing money but you’re damn sure not making any. We’ve been through stuff like this before but this time it just seems that this time it’s all hitting us at once. I can’t find my happy place anymore.
I know it’s bad because, and some of you may know this, animals will sometimes sense impeding really bad events. For instance, just before the great Chicago fire, a cow owned by Patrick and Catherine O’Leary kicked over a lantern and said “Oh *@%&^!! I hope the wind doesn’t pick up.”
Well something is going on. My Rottweiler Roxy, born of Satan and who quietly stalks innocent victims for the purposes of our satanic weekend rituals according to idiots who are living close by, has begun acting strangely. I found a crack pipe in the Alpo. The Shih Tsu is using up my co-pays for an analyst and I think the turtles are hitting my Crown Royal after we go to bed.
People are starting to move more towards the edge and yes, crime is reflecting the bad economic times. Shoplifting, normally reserved for teenagers and pill-head housewives, is now seeing Mr. and Mrs. Middle-Class America stuffing pockets and pants with—well not the essentials that you would think a cash-strapped family would go after, like food or baby formula.
No—they’re stealing, instead of buying CD’s, DVD’s, and other small electronic items of entertainment. Not exactly essential of life but due to the hardships, they’re willing to risk jail and a criminal history in the name of entertainment.
Many of these honest-people-doing-dishonest-things do not have the necessary fundamentals of a good shoplifter.
For instance, most new male shoplifters still prefer to stuff any and all items, including chain saws and 19-inch televisions, down their pants like “Hey, it’ll just look like I’m a stud!” No, it looks like you’re fixing to join the Mug-Shot Club. Remember: Stop-Drop-And Take That Stuff Out of Your Pants and Put It Back Where It Belongs. Words of at least semi-wisdom.
We continue to look for alternative fuel sources. It looks like maybe if anything good comes from the bad prices on fuel; it’s the now accelerated efforts to find alternative fuels for our sixty zillion cars, all on the road at the same time on GA 400.
A possible solution to a potential future energy shortage would be to use some of the world’s remaining fossil fuel reserves as an investment in renewable energy infrastructure such as wind power, solar power, tidal power, gerbil power, geothermal power, hydropower, thermal depolymerization, methanol, ethanol and biodiesel, or in an oil lamp; try olive oil, WD-40, canola oil, safflower oil, Vinyl Repair, algae oil or sunflower oil which do not suffer from finite energy reserves, but do have a finite energy flow—but heck, you knew that.
Why limit ourselves here? My uncle Alberto from Cuba, Georgia, right next to the Kroger on Highway 20, claims to have developed a usable fuel using old Slim Whitman records. He gets 45 miles to the gallon but the car yodels when he gets to 50 MPH—a small price to pay.
Well, regardless of how bad things get, don’t forget to find you happy place—and I don’t mean in the bottom of a whisky glass—unless you’re with consenting adults at home listening to a Slim Whitman album. Watch the dogs and when they get funky, something’s fixing to happen. Some signs your dog knows something bad is going to happen: • They’re dressing like Leon Redbone • They’re stuck to the ceiling and smoking Marlboros • They’re gone—note said: Gone to Vegas-You’re on your own • They’re voting Marijuana Reform Party in November
Well sooner or later we’ll get past all this madness and again concentrate on the priorities in life like reforming the designated-hitter rule and whether Lindsay Lohan has a girlfriend. Continue to find your happy place and just start going there more often. Keep an eye on the dogs. They’ll let you know when the coast is clear.
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