EACA Newsletter for May 18, 2009

The second incident was last Monday morning, when a woman reported that she willingly accepted a ride from a stranger driving a red Grand Am at the corner of Flat Shoals and Flat Shoals Way , who then sexually assaulted her inside the vehicle.  She claimed to have escaped the vehicle and hidden in some bushes on Jobeth for about ten minutes, and then went to the door of a homeowner for assistance.  No coercion or weapon was reported that forced the woman to accept the ride, and no rape was reported.  The woman told police that she had a fight with her Mother and was walking to her sister's when this chain of events began.  If anyone is looking for more details, such as where this woman's Mother or Sister live or whether this story is completely accurate, we don't know all the facts at this time.  We did not report this immediately because we were trying to gather more facts and because parts of the story still don't make a lot of sense.  While there is no belief that the alleged perpetrator presents an ongoing threat to the community, it would be wise to call 911 if such a vehicle is spotted and the driving behavior suggests anything suspicious.

Please be aware that there are people who prowl the streets at these hours of the morning, and even driving home late at night you need to be cautious and watch for cars that may be following you or lingering near your destination.  If you feel threatened in any way, remain in your moving vehicle and call 911.  Be sure to have Atlanta 911 programmed into your cell phone as 404-658-6666.  For our unincorporated Dekalb residents, call 911, although you can also have the 404-658-6666 number programmed into your phone in the event you are within the Atlanta city limits when your emergency occurs.

If you are aware of any ATVs that are roaming the roads of East Atlanta, please submit an e-mail to publicsafety@eaca.net. Please tell us the exact address of the owner if at all possible, as notification that they're driving down the street generally isn't helpful.
We'll be working with APD to reduce or eliminate the use of these vehicles in our area, but we need your help in identifying the owners of these vehicles.

As discussed at our last EACA meeting, we have had several incidents this month of phone wires being cut as a means to disable burglar alarms.  If you have an alarm system that uses a landline to communicate with your monitoring company, we recommend that you upgrade to a Digital Wireless Alarm.  While there is an additional monthly cost of $5-6 and a $100-200 installation cost, you can pay for this by discontinuing your landline service.  There is no need to maintain a landline and a wireless backup, as the wireless service can be your primary way to communicate with your monitoring company.  We also recommend that your alarm have a battery backup, which will serve you well in the event of a power failure or if a perpetrator cuts your power.

Finally, May is generally a month where we experience a large number of attempted home burglaries.  If you will be away for the holiday, please be sure to inform APD by completing the out of town patrol form at http://eaca.net/index/files/forms/out_of_town_patrol_request_form.pdf.  If you are an East Atlanta Security Patrol member, please inform us as well.  Due to the holiday, EASP is waiving the normal advance notification requirements, but please take the time to let us know you'll be out of town.  Our suggestions for steps to take before leaving town are at http://patrol.eaca.net/index/faq.  And always tell trusted neighbors if you'll be away, as they are truly your first line of defense against property crimes.