ATLANTA -- Thousands of Atlanta residents have received an email warning from a police major about rising, violent crime in Zone 5, which includes neighborhoods in downtown and midtown. Major Khirus Williams sent out the alert after a string of robberies and carjackings Monday night. Here is some of what he wrote: "Please, let us all keep our exterior lights on to illuminate the area. This makes the area unpopular for criminals! "Also, please have your family, friends, and neighbors to blow their horn when arriving. This allows us to watch for them until they arrive, inside, safely. Open the window dressings and hi-light them with a flash-light. Thus, the criminal element would be aware that someone is watching! "Furthermore, we have to minimize just visiting in the drive way, or sidewalks, at nights. I know that this is unfair, but the criminals are becoming more brazen and this is their method of attack.. Patrols throughout the City are not as common as they were in the past, as a result of furloughs. "In closing, we have to do things differently than we did in the past, until there is a change. Please, let us minimize the opportunity for us to become victims and assist others as they return home. " Mjr. Williams say 2 to 5 men wearing hoodies that cover their faces are armed with guns and approaching people even when they're in groups and in lighted areas. He also specificially references the current furloughs in the police department, which have cut patrols by 10% across the board. "Right now, I feel like one of the most constructive things we can do is be completely honest with citizens about what they're up against and admit that police presence won't always be what it has been in the past," said Mjr. Williams. Police E-mail Warns Of Rise In Crime - 11Alive.com | WXIA | Atlanta, GA
I think it would be a good thing if the police did this sort of thing more often. On the other hand, I can't help to wonder if his motivation was really to warn people, or scare them into demanding more funding for the police. I'm just thinking out loud here.
Jesse We have a neighborhood watch here and meet with the police rep every month. We get filled in on all the latest crime trends and scams affecting our neighborhoods. The police even give me flyers that I pass out to houses that don’t attend the meetings. I think most cities have watch programs if they can get people to get involved.
Have you been to Atlanta?? Especially the area in question? I was there in about mid 2001 and that place is RIPE with crime. You could probably pass 100 bills getting more police funds without too much problem. There are gangs and drugs EVERYWHERE. For the police to take that measure means they must REALLY be up against it with the gang problem. That's scary. That isn't the type of thing that just fixes itself with picking up your pistol on the way to the store to make sure you are safe. Something goes down and you draw down on someone, you will have retribution from Hell to Christmas... I don't envy the folks living there - but then again, if you allow your backyard to turn into a sh!thole, don't get upset with the rats.... JD
Didn't mean to ruffle any feathers there. As I said, I was just thinking out loud. The fact that he mentioned the furloughs twice, just kind of caught my attention. I think he gave some good advice in the letter. I think the fact that the police are using email like this is great. I know it leaves out the couple of people who still don't have email, but the more methods the police have to communicate with the people, the better. I was actually working in Atlanta for 3 weeks in late 2000. I'm sure I wasn't anywhere near zone 5 though. I stayed as far away from downtown as possible. It's beautiful country around there. I spent a day out at Stone Mountain. That was the best day of my stay.
Certainly didn't ruffle any feathers on this end. That would be one of about 5 places,that I have personally visited, that the hose would go if we were to want to give the country an enema. JD
You know, I haven't been to that part of OH, I was in Toledo when I was real young - and now I can cross it off my list of places to visit... LOL JD
Spent two Weeks in North Ridgeville (just outside Cleavland) for work. It just happened that St. Patrick's Day fell on the Fri. that I was there. So me an a half dozen from work went into Cleavland, to an area on the river they call 'the flats', for the St. Patty's party...Wow, I think I have a small sort of idea of what Martigras must be like. Saw a few fights that night, then the cabs wouldn't drive us out of the area because it took them too long to get back in to the area, and we weren't going far enough to make it worth their time. So we had to walk a couple of miles to get to the restaurant where we left our cars. This was at about 1 AM. I was wishing I was carrying that night...of course I couldn't have anyway, since we were drinking. Another place to put the hose...Stockton, California!
The Flats is no more. Just about every business has left. The city built some projects there, and it took less than 2 years for that place to get way too dangerous to go. JD, Toledo is nowhere near Cleveland. I've lived in both cities, and I can tell you that neither is desirable to visit, or live. Cleveland is a different city. There are no national gangs there (except for biker gangs). All within the city, and just as violent as the national ones. I lived in Sandusky when the whole fight between the Hell's Angels and another biker gang (I can't remember who) was in full force. There was a nasty murder that happended the night I had to go and make a deposit for my company in Sandusky. I got to the bank about 20 mins after, and I could not make the deposit because it was all blocked off. Dude got riddled with an automatic and was lying in the road. The police had detained some witnesses, and one told me that he got there right after, and a guy pulled a gun on him, warning not to talk to the cops. He was shaken, and not happy that he could not leave the area. East Cleveland is a city that had a mayor that was arrested on bribery charges. He refused to step down until he was convicted. Here's the kicker...he was from Ethiopia. The people of the city backed him right up until they dragged him off to the pen...for a 20 year sentence.
A simple question, does your local PD have your email address? I expect most will say no for those that say yes have you every got such an email?. This email was sent to get media attention and not to inform the people in the area. At best it's politics but it has little to do with "protect and serve".
I would guess that the email addresses where obtained through some sort of community involvement website. Something that was already set up with the PD. This cop just found a different way to use it.
That is a good thought and I'm involved with the neighborhood watch, crime stopers network at my Seattle business location and in the neighborhood a little more country where I lived and never saw anything romotely close to this. It's hype at best and if you could dig deep enough you would find that email got to less than 2% of the people in the area at best but every local media center got it.
really you do not need the email to get to 100% of the population. It will grow and take on a life of its own. Look at the little I stick my foot in mouth Fat gun write I forget his name. Within an hour or two every gun owner with an email had gotten that blog post. All you need to do is get it out there. then watch it go like a virus in a 3rd world country.
