With April nearing completion, it's a good opportunity to see how much crime has been occurring in East Atlanta so far this year. As far as major crimes are concerned, there has been a significant decrease in crime this year, and that is after a fairly high volume of crime early in the year. For the year to date, there have been eleven burglaries, five pedestrian robberies and ten auto thefts. All of those crimes are on pace for significantly lower volumes than anytime in the past ten years. It is unusual to have such sustained periods of low crime like we've had in the past three months. The improvement can be attributed to many factors, but increased patrols in the Village is one thing that is believed to be helping. In addition, more EASP patrols in some of the areas that were having higher rates of crime seems to be helping. That has been a direct consequence of increased EASP membership on streets like Cecile, Jobeth, Clifton and Braeburn.
Where we are seeing recent increases in crime is from thefts and car break-ins, but successful results lead criminals to continue to target these types of crimes, especially when it's a lot easier to open an unlocked car and check for valuables than to break into your home. In crime reports that were posted this week, one resident reported having $2,000 taken from an unlocked car. Another person reported having $320 taken from their wallet. Be smart about carrying large amounts of cash or credit cards, especially at night. If you're walking up to the Village, carry only one or two credit cards, and have the numbers to call those credit card companies written down so you can quickly cancel the cards should they be lost or stolen. And check for valuables anytime you exit your vehicle. Even items out of site are at risk, so don't leave items like wallets, purses, jewelry, phones, guns or cash in an unoccupied vehicle.
Where we are seeing recent increases in crime is from thefts and car break-ins, but successful results lead criminals to continue to target these types of crimes, especially when it's a lot easier to open an unlocked car and check for valuables than to break into your home. In crime reports that were posted this week, one resident reported having $2,000 taken from an unlocked car. Another person reported having $320 taken from their wallet. Be smart about carrying large amounts of cash or credit cards, especially at night. If you're walking up to the Village, carry only one or two credit cards, and have the numbers to call those credit card companies written down so you can quickly cancel the cards should they be lost or stolen. And check for valuables anytime you exit your vehicle. Even items out of site are at risk, so don't leave items like wallets, purses, jewelry, phones, guns or cash in an unoccupied vehicle.