While our burglary activity has dropped considerably in the past few years, there has been a marked increase in residential burglaries in areas adjacent to East Atlanta this week, including one at Marbut and McWilliams on Wednesday at 10 a.m.  With many neighbors still out of town, if you see any suspicious activity, be sure to call 911 followed by the EASP at 404-954-1568.

The burglary on Wednesday utilized a white Hyundai SUV, which was spotted elsewhere in the vicinity.  The vehicle had a paper tag, so be on the lookout for such a vehicle.  It appears that the perpetrators are knocking on doors to see if anyone is home, so if that should happen to you, do not hesitate to report it.

If you have been the victim of a vehicle break-in during the past two weeks, this has been a terrible period for these crimes.  If you have any good video of such a crime, please forward the video to easp610@gmail.com.  We are working with APD to identify the perpetrators, particularly if they match any of the people arrested yesterday morning.  Hopefully we'll soon start to see some relief from the nightly vehicle incursions, but we can best guarantee that by all of you providing video that identify people or vehicles that were involved in this recent crime spree.

There was a burglary reported early this afternoon on Bouldercrest near Wainwright.  The suspect was described as a white male about 50 years old, with a white and brown beard.  He was wearing a white shirt and grey shorts, and was on foot.  If anyone has an idea of who this suspect is, please contact the East Atlanta Security Patrol at 404-954-1568.
​

APD has asked us to be on the lookout for a blue Chevy HHR Station wagon, with tag RAD0492.  There are likely four occupants, and they appear to be casing homes in our area.  If you see this vehicle, immediately call 911 followed by the EASP at 404-954-1568.  Do not post to social media until you have called the police.

Thanks again to our EASP officer on duty this morning for alertly stopping a stolen vehicle near Burgess Peterson Academy and arresting the two occupants.  The EASP officers have made a number of similar arrests in the past year, and it helps to limit the burglaries in East Atlanta that are committed by perpetrators from outside our community.  Burglaries were down 40% last year, and continue to decline dramatically in 2019.

Remember, you do not need to be a member to call the East Atlanta Security Patrol.  However, if you need an immediate police response, call 911 prior to calling the EASP at 404-954-1568.

If you wish to help make it possible for the EASP officers to patrol more hours, take advantage of our special promotion running through May 24th.  Anyone signing up for a new membership will receive free service from Memorial Day Weekend through June 30th, prior to the official start of your membership on July 1st.  Should you miss the May 24th deadline, your membership will fall under our normal policy, and begin on the first day of the next quarter (July 1st, October 1st, January 1st, April 1st).

Please be on the lookout for an African American male with a low haircut, wearing a white t-shirt, blue shorts and white sneakers.  He was last seen on Van Epps and you should assume he is dangerous, as he was involved in a carjacking.  Please call 911 followed immediately by the EASP at 404-954-1568.  Sorry we can't provide more information but we will update this if we hear more.

APD has asked us to be on the lookout for this truck, which is being used for vehicle break-ins.  The tag number is believed to be RAZ1280.  If you see this vehicle, call 911 followed by the EASP at 404-954-1568.

APD has requested that we be on the lookout for a black Dodge Challenger, likely a 2016-2018 model.  It has been used in conjunction with a number of vehicle break-ins in this area.  Should you see suspicious activity associated with this car, call 911 followed by the EASP at 404-954-1568.

The EASP has learned that Zone 6 had six officers reassigned this week.  It's not clear if this is a result of changes being requested by new Public Safety Commissioner George Turner, or some other reason.  Regardless of why this has occurred, we are concerned that the continued loss of APD officers is having a direct impact on the ability to keep citizens safe in our community.  In effect, the communities of Zone 6 are being penalized by losing officers to other Zones where crime is higher.  When even the officers on the school police force are making more money than the ones patrolling our streets, something is drastically wrong.  We encourage you to contact Councilperson Archibong and others on city council to make it clear to them that funding better pay for officers must be the city's highest priority.  And if the response is that funding is not available, take a look at your property tax bill and think about the huge tax increases that most of us have been forced to pay in the past few years.  I think most of us would rather attract and retain officers with a higher rate of pay than pay overtime rates to a shrinking number of officers.

As we approach the period of the year where crime has increased significantly the past couple of years, take a few minutes to consider joining the EASP.  In the short run, it is our easiest way to put more officers on the street, particularly ones that are familiar with our community and will be up to speed immediately.  Sunday is the last day to join the EASP for the upcoming quarter that goes through the holiday season.  After that, the next time to join will be January 1st.

The East Atlanta Security Patrol (EASP) is offering memberships to residents of the East Atlanta community through September 30th.  To join, you must be a City of Atlanta resident.  Enrollment for the October 1 – December 31 quarter is open through Sunday.  This is the last opportunity to join the EASP this year and help increase safety in our community for the holiday season.
 
This is also a great opportunity to invite your neighbors to become members, as patrol time is largely allocated based on where members live.  And more members means more patrol hours for the entire East Atlanta community.
 
Membership in the EASP allows you to request extra patrols whenever you're away from home, including Fall Break, Thanksgiving and the rest of the holiday season.  By submitting a simple form, members receive extra patrols at their homes from both the EASP officers and APD officers. 

Membership in the EASP costs $50 per quarter, with a one-time charge of $15 for administrative fees and an EASP yard sign.  Half-price memberships are available for Seniors age 65 and above.  Memberships are offered for 3, 6 and 12 months.  To become a member, visit the EASP website at www.easecuritypatrol.com or call 404-954-1568.
 
The EASP, starting its thirteenth year of operation, is an effort to enhance public safety in East Atlanta. The EASP employs off-duty Zone Six police officers to perform additional patrols within Beat 612, which is the police designation for the East Atlanta community. All patrol officers are armed, in uniform, with full arrest powers.  All vehicles are clearly marked on both sides with the EASP emblem or use marked APD police vehicles.  Most EASP officers already patrol or live in the East Atlanta community, giving them knowledge of the people and streets, and have a vested interest in keeping our neighborhood safe.
 
In addition to extra police patrols in our community, the EASP works closely with the Atlanta Police Department and other security patrols to share information about crime threats or new patterns of crime. When appropriate, the EASP shares this information with the community via the EASP website, Facebook and Twitter.  The EASP also addresses quality of life issues, which can range from abandoned cars to noise complaints, and difficult neighbors to missing street signs.