​The East Atlanta Security Patrol (EASP) is offering free membership for the remainder of 2021 to anyone joining the EASP by November 24th. All membership dollars go toward funding extra police patrols in East Atlanta.  The goal is to discourage crime from occurring in our neighborhood rather than trying to catch criminals after crimes are committed.  Encourage your neighbors to join as well, as patrol time is largely allocated based on where members live.  Patrols are also allocated based on which parts of the neighborhood are experiencing the most crime.
 
Members of the EASP may request extra patrols when away from home for work or on vacation, including Labor Day, Thanksgiving and the December holidays.  By submitting a simple form, members receive extra patrols at their homes from both the EASP officers and APD officers. 

Membership in the EASP is $50 per quarter, with a one-time charge of $15 for administrative fees and an EASP yard sign.  Memberships are offered for 3, 6 and 12 months.  If you join by November 24th, your membership starts immediately and is free for the remainder of this year. 
 
In addition to extra police patrols in our community, the EASP works closely with the Atlanta Police Department 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, difficult neighbors to speeding in our neighborhood.
 
The EASP, concluding its sixteenth eleventh year of operation, 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 are APD marked cars.  The EASP employs experienced officers who know the East Atlanta community and have a vested interest in keeping our neighborhood safe.  Major crime categories are all down 80-90% over the past ten years, and East Atlanta has not been subject to the increasing and violent crime that many Atlanta neighborhoods have faced since last summer.

 
To increase the police presence in East Atlanta during the summer, the East Atlanta Security Patrol (EASP) is offering new memberships for the quarter beginning July 1st. All membership dollars go toward funding extra police patrols in East Atlanta.  The goal is to discourage crime from occurring in our neighborhood rather than trying to catch criminals after crimes are committed.  We just added an additional officer, so we’d love for more people to become members so that we can increase his hours!  Encourage your neighbors to join as well, as patrol time is weighted toward areas where our members are concentrated.  Patrols are also allocated based on which parts of the neighborhood are experiencing the most crime.
 
Members of the EASP may request extra patrols when away from home for work or on vacation, including the Fourth of July, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, the December holidays and for New Year’s.  By submitting a simple form, members receive extra patrols at their homes from both the EASP officers and APD officers. 

Membership in the EASP is $50 per quarter, with a one-time charge of $15 for administrative fees and an EASP yard sign.  Memberships are offered for 3, 6 and 12 months.  If you join this month, your membership will begin on July 1st.
 
In addition to extra police patrols in our community, the EASP works closely with the Atlanta Police Department 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, difficult neighbors to speeding in our neighborhood.
 
The EASP, in its fifteenth eleventh year of operation, 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 are APD marked cars.  The EASP employs experienced officers who know the East Atlanta community and have a vested interest in keeping our neighborhood safe.  Major crime categories are all down 80-90% over the past ten years, and East Atlanta has not been subject to the increasing and violent crime that many Atlanta neighborhoods have faced in the past year.

After going on a three month hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, plans were all set for the East Atlanta Security Patrol to resume operations on June 15th.  The last couple weeks of protests triggered primarily by concerns over police conduct and the death of George Floyd have called this plan into question.  After much deliberation, we have decided to begin patrols again next week.  Crime is beginning to increase substantially as more people are leaving their homes for work, travel, and normal summertime activities.  We continue to see the EASP mission as providing a highly visible means of crime deterrence without trying to be a heavy handed apparatus of the government.  We also feel that all police departments may be a bit distracted by ongoing protests, and that the extra police presence may be more important than ever when many officers are being removed from our community to focus on the perceived threat of civil unrest.

We still feel strongly that the EASP provides an important service and has been a catalyst for making our community safer, and that the officers who we employ are working with us because they care about the East Atlanta community.   Yes, they are paid for patrolling our streets, but most of our officers go above and beyond, often passing on information while they're not working a shift, or working past the end of their shift to complete a call. 
 
Obviously we're all searching for answers in our hearts, and wondering if we are part of the problem, and how we can better come to grips with the fears and challenges many of our neighbors face on a daily basis.  While violent encounters with the police have been discussed a lot, the fear and bias many blacks and people of color face extends through most of the criminal justice system.  By listening to these concerns, whether they be decriminalizing marijuana possession, ending cash bail or more carefully evaluating police budgets, we all must begin be part of the effort toward eliminating the racism prevalent in the daily lives of many of our citizens.

One thing has been apparent in the nearly fourteen years that the EASP has been operating is that our community, and our members in particular, rarely report suspicious activity due to the color of someone's skin.  While that is a start, there is so much more that we can do.  We need to ensure that no children face obstacles to getting a good education, having equal opportunities, and most importantly to equal treatment as they walk, bike or drive through our streets.  Many adults face these same challenges, but we need to work toward the day when parents aren't forced to coach their children on how to navigate the same minefields that previous generations have had to experience.
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We will be communicating with each officer in the coming week that any racial profiling or unnecessary aggression will result in their immediate dismissal.  There has always been a no tolerance policy with our officers, and fortunately we've never had any complaints about racist behavior or aggressive responses by an EASP officer.  We are excited that all of our officers want to return to duty next week, subject to any demands that APD may have relative to ongoing protests.  And in case you were wondering, all of our officers at this time are either Black or Hispanic.  That is not by design, as we have always worked with Zone 6 to hire the best officers available relative to our community's needs, regardless of race, sex or anything that doesn't directly impact their ability to perform the duties of the job.

If you have feedback about the patrol's mission or concerns about the operation of the service going forward, please let us know.  There is always room for improvement, and in today's environment, we want to be sure we serve as much of the community as possible.   One of our original goals was to always respond to calls from anyone in the community, even if they can't afford to be a paying member, and that policy has never changed.  We're here to support all citizens who may need extra assistance, and often with quicker response times than APD officers working their normal shift can provide. 

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.
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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.