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Security Tips
Your First Call Should Always Be To 911
If you see any suspicious activity or need to report a crime you must call 911 first.
The Atlanta Police Department officially investigates crimes, not MSP.
Our Patrol Officers are tuned into APD Zone 2 Dispatch so they will receive all calls in the neighborhood and will respond regardless of your membership status in MSP.
By calling the MSP office number, or calling an MLPA Board member, you defeat the system. If an MSP Officer is on duty, he or she is spending most of his or her time out on patrol, not sitting in an office waiting for your call. You will not get a quick or official response from APD or MSP unless you call 911.
You should call 911 when:
- You witness a crime in progress
- You discover that you are a victim of a crime
- You are being harassed
- Your premises is on fire or you see a fire in the neighborhood
- You have a medical emergency or health crisis
- You witness a traffic accident
- You witness any suspicious activity
- You see illegal parking on your street
- You believe a vehicle has been abandoned in your neighborhood
- You believe your neighborhood is experiencing excessive noise including, but not limited to, dogs constantly barking, loud music, loud parties, and contractors working too early or too late
- Or when in doubt, call 911.
If a crime goes unreported to the police, then it does not show up in official crime statistics and therefore will affect the APD's resource allocation decisions for our neighborhood.
The Public Safety Committee appreciates being advised by members of situations so that they may assist in any follow-up through MSP and with Zone Command. But again, your first call should always be to 911. Notify us only after you have called 911.
Keep Your Person Safe at All Times
Women, and even men, should always have their cell phones with them and consider carrying mace or pepper spray when walking or jogging around the neighborhood. Ours is a relatively safe neighborhood but we still live in a city, not a suburb. Unfortunately things sometimes do happen.
If you are out and enjoying our pleasant surroundings or in one of our many parks, and are harassed or threatened in any way, get away to a secure location and call 911. If you are able, give a description of the person and, or, vehicle and its tag number.
If you are unable to get away quickly and safely, start yelling and screaming while you dial 911 on your cell phone. Use your mace or pepper spray.
If someone grabs you, remember this is not time to be polite. Punch, kick, hit, or scratch the assailant. Aim for the eyes, throat, groin or any sensitive area that you can. Do not allow your self to be taken or to be dragged into a vehicle. Once you are safe, call 911. Remember your personal safety comes first.
Place these items between the those titled “Do Not Leave Valuables In Your Vehicles Overnight” and “Keep Your Yards and Garages Secure”
Activate Your Alarm Systems
If you have a home alarm system, remember to activate it any time you leave home and at night while you are sleeping. Some of our residents have left their homes for what they thought would be short periods of time and have not activated their alarms. When they returned, they found they had been burglarized.
Communicate With Your Neighbors
If you are having repair or service work done at your house, make a habit of letting your neighbors know. Burglars posing as contractors or servicemen perpetrate many crimes.
Let your neighbors know when you are going out of town and who has permission to be on your property in your absence. Ask them to call the Police (911) if they see anyone else on your property while you are gone.
Fill Out And Submit Your MSP Vacation Request Cards
If you are a member of MSP, be sure to fill out a vacation security request card whenever you are going away on vacation, because of an emergency, or if you are temporarily moving out of your home while it is undergoing renovations.
Keep Your Contact And Monitoring Information Up To Date
If you have an alarm system in your house that is monitored either by your alarm company or a separate monitoring company, make sure all your contact information is up to date. This includes who to call in your absence in the event of a problem.
This also includes 911 information. Make sure that the alarm monitoring company knows in which political jurisdiction you reside: City of Atlanta - Fulton County; City of Atlanta - DeKalb County; or unincorporated Dekalb County.
It has come to our attention that alarm companies get mixed up about this and call DeKalb County 911 instead of City of Atlanta or vice versa. This can hinder timely response from the appropriate jurisdiction to an alarm sounded in your home.
Turn Lights On In Your Home
When the days get shorter, it gets dark earlier. If you are going out for the evening make sure that you leave some lights on in your home. Maybe leave a radio or even a TV on. (This is not a bad idea in the daytime as well.) Burglars are more likely to break into a dark house than a lit one or one with signs that persons may be home. This becomes especially important during the holiday season when many thieves are out cruising for opportunities.
If you are going away for vacation put some lights on timers. Timers that can vary turn-on and turnoff times by 5-30 minutes may be the most effective. If this is not possible, perhaps a friend or neighbor taking care of your pets or plants can turn them on and off for you.
Do Not Leave Valuables In Your Vehicles Overnight
Just a reminder, you should not leave valuables in your vehicles overnight, especially if you are parked in the street or in the driveway.
This becomes even more imperative as the holidays approach. Packages, briefcases, purses, CDs, and tapes left out in the open on your car seats or floors are easy pickings for the unsavory passersby. They can easily smash a car window and quickly make off with those items.
You will not discover the damage to your vehicle or that items are missing until you go out to the car the next morning. By then, the thieves have usually made a clean get-away.
Be Careful Of Where You Park Your Car And What You Leave In It
This may seem redundant but whether at home or while you are out and about during the night- or daytime hours be aware of where you leave your car and what you leave in it.
It is true that adolescent, homeless, and transient persons commit many of the car break-ins that we experience in this neighborhood. Some however, are committed by more sophisticated thieves, including identity thieves.
Be aware of your surroundings and be careful about leaving anything in your car. Even leaving a jacket on the car seat can be a reason for someone to break-in to your vehicle and investigate what may be underneath and as long as they are at it, your entire vehicle. This is especially true at the shopping mall, the tennis club, the swimming pool, the gym, or the park.
Today, many thieves are sophisticated and work in teams. One team member may be lurking and watching the parking area while others are watching the mall entrances or the tennis courts. They use their cell phones to communicate.
The first team member may pick a mark based on what he observes them leaving in the car or what they are not taking. For example, a woman leaving a vehicle without a purse to go play tennis or to the gym is a sign that if not an entire purse, some forms of identity may be left in the vehicle.
The first team member will call his accomplices and describe the mark, the vehicle, and its location. The observers will watch the mark’s coming and going and watch for other persons approaching the intended vehicle’s location. They will alert the first person of potential danger.
In just a matter of seconds they may find enough information to open up a new credit card account in your name and purchase a new 40-inch wide-screen TV and home theater system. They may possibly do so and be on their way before you have returned to your vehicle.
Do not leave anything in your vehicle if you can help it. Be aware of the vehicles parked around you and of any persons its vicinity. Are such persons walking to or from their vehicles? Or, does one seem to lingering or lurking in the parking lot? If so you may want to call the police or security if it is in a mall or some such facility that has its own security force and system.
Take Care In Putting Your Trash Out
Your garbage can be a clue to would-be burglars about the contents of your domicile. When you make major purchases be sure to dispose of the packaging in a manner that does not advertise to the entire neighborhood that you just made a desirable and expensive purchase.
For example, if you just purchased a new TV, stereo, or computer, do not just place the empty boxes that such items come in out by the curb next to your Herby-Curby. The boxes are often large and unwieldy and this is usually the most convenient way to dispose of them. But in so doing, you are letting potential burglars know what you have just brought into your house.
Instead, break or cut up the containers so they can be placed in your usual trash container or in extra trash bags. Do this with any major electronics or other expensive purchase.
This is a good practice year-round but it is especially important during the holiday seasons when so many boxes are to be disposed. It takes a little extra time to break these containers up but in so doing you will be taking that little extra step that may keep your home from becoming a target.
Manage Your Mail Carefully
Every so often, mail is stolen from mailboxes in our neighborhood. The thieves are looking for checks or cash that may be sent to you in the mail, or a your new supply of blank checks for your checking account. They may be also looking for new credit cards being sent through the mail. These days they are also looking for bank or credit card statements—anything that may allow them to steal your identity and enable them to use your credit for their own gain. It doesn’t take much information to do that these days.
First, do not send bill payments by placing them in your mailbox and setting the mailbox flag so that the postal delivery person will know that you have mail to be picked up. You are also signaling to others that your mailbox is worth investigating. Instead, drop it off at the post office or one of its official mail drop-off/pick-up boxes. It may be best to do this with all outgoing mail. Otherwise, a thief may drive by your mailbox, grab its contents, and discard your letter to grandma down the road, once they have had time to stop and examine the contents of what they have stolen.
Second, do not let the mail sit your box any longer than it has to. Pick it up as soon as you are able. The longer items sit in your box, the more likely it is that they will be stolen.
Third, consider getting a Post Office Box for all your sensitive mail. These days many persons are using P.O. Boxes and its address for bank, credit, and other financial statements and bills. P. O. Boxes used for this special purpose do not have to visited every single day but will need to be checked with regularity.
Fourth, if you are going out of town have a friend, neighbor, or relative pick-up your mail for you daily and hold it in a secure location in your home or theirs. If you will be gone for an extended period, you may wish to notify the post office to hold your mail.
Be advised however, that last year one our residents did just that. His home was broken into several times while he was away. He also discovered problems related to identity theft. The culprits were apprehended and the crimes were linked to a postal worker who let some buddies know of our neighbor’s extended absence. We hope that this was an isolated incident but it may also be a sad but true sign of the times.
Fifth, if you are going to be away and are expecting packages, whether they are delivered by the U.S. Postal Service of some other package delivery service, have a friend, neighbor, or relative be on the lookout for those deliveries. Do not allow them to accumulate on or by the back, side, or front door.
Keep Your Yards and Garages Secure
Many of the property crimes committed in the neighborhood involve theft of yard tools or toys. These may be considered minor crimes but it is no small thing when you are the victim.
These incidents should be reported to 911 just like any other crime.
You can be proactive in preventing these types of thefts by bringing kids' toys inside at night or when you are gone from the premises.
You should also put yard tools away when you are done with them. If you have a garage, close and lock your garage doors whenever you leave and at night.
It is a good policy to close and lock basement and garage doors at all times.
Be Cautious With Door-To-Door Solicitors
Be careful about answering the door when door-to-door salespersons and other solicitors come calling. A sad fact of our times is that often these persons are either trying to get into your home or are trying to scam you out of your money with some scheme.
Some people refuse to open their door and maybe this is the safest policy. Some alarm companies actually advise this. However, this is not an acceptable policy to many people.
If you can talk through your door or a window, it is often best not to open your door.
If you do open your door, shut and lock it immediately if the solicitor becomes overly aggressive. Call 911 and offer the operator as complete a description of the solicitor as you possibly can.
Christmas Trees And Presents In Your Windows
Christmas trees and such, displayed so that they can be seen from windows are common sights during the holiday season. As the holidays approach presents under the trees may also be seen.
As festive as this may be, it can be an invitation to burglars. If you can, it is a good idea to put presents under the tree at the last possible minute. If you do leave packages under the tree that can be seen from your front windows and leave the house to visit or to go to church or pick up a last minute item, then draw your curtains or blinds so the packages are not visible from the street.
And of course, if you are an MSP member, submit a vacation request to have the patrol monitor your home while you are away.
Check back often for additional tips.
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