Avondale Holding Community Meeting On Burglaries At 7 PM Tonight

Update: Avondale Estates City Manager Clai Brown invites the public to meet at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 25, at City Hall to discuss a recent rash of home burglaries.

Four homes were burglarized over 10 days.

Mayor Ed Rieker and Police Chief Gary Broden will take questions and describe what steps the police department is taking.

The police department will also hold a training session on "How to Correctly Identify Suspicious Persons" and "How and When to Call 911" at 7 p.m. Jan. 31, in Avondale Estates City Hall.

At 6:30 p.m. Jan. 31, a Neighborhood Watch captains meeting will be held in City Hall. The program needs new block captains. Anybody interested should contact Sherri Dickens at avondalenw@gmail.com. 

Here's the first story:

have stepped up patrols and are urging residents to check security in their homes after four burglaries in 10 days.

Three of the break-ins happened on Majestic Circle. No arrests have been made but police said they are developing suspects.

The break-ins happened:

• Jan. 13 in the 3100 block of Majestic Circle, about 8 p.m. Somebody forced a rear door and took a laptop computer, gaming console, electronic tablet and a bookbag. The stolen items were valued at $2,422.

• Jan. 18 in the 3000 block of Charlbury Place, btween 1 and 4:30 p.m. Taken were TVs, a tablet and other electronics items worth a total of $2,015.

• Jan. 20 in the 3000 block of Majestic Circle, between 1:45 and 2:30 p.m. Taken were $800 in electronics.

• Jan. 23 at a house on Majestic Circle. Details were not available Tuesday morning, but Detective Tom Gillespie said it happened in the daytime while residents were out of the house.

The police department issued this information:

Each occurrence is taken seriously by the Avondale Estates Police Department.  In an effort to deter such activity, the Police Department has adjusted its patrol procedures, increased shift hours, there are undercover officers patrolling, pawn shops have been visited, neighborhood watch team has been informed, informational electronic newsletters have been sent, Nixle advisories have been sent, and the Avondale Estates Police Department has initiated activities that will make it more difficult and unpleasant for those persons considering illegal activity in our community.

Suspicious persons, vehicles and activity are considered police emergency type calls and 911 should be called immediately. Always call 911 immediately when something or someone appears suspicious - do not call or e-mail City Hall.

As the Police Department has stated previously, combating criminal activity within our community is a team effort.  Even though the Police Department makes adjustments in procedures and introduces additional tactics, the Police Department still needs the assistance of our citizens - the eyes and ears of the community.

 Every community experiences periods of increased criminal activity, during which the community and local law enforcement work together in efforts of bringing the responsible individuals to justice.  A better solution is to prevent crime from occurring or at least making it far more difficult for criminals to commit.

The Avondale Estates Police Department recommends that all residents take a few moments to inspect their homes using the Home Security Inspection Checklist provided by the National Neighborhood Watch Program. A checklist can be picked up at City Hall or CLICK HERE to print out the checklist. Also, an officer may be requested to come to a citizen's residence and conduct the inspection as well as make suggestions in how to improve a home's security. If such a service is desired, please contact Investigator Tom Gillis at (404) 391-4526 (Monday-Friday, 8:30AM-4:30PM).

Team work, involving every sector of our community, is the answer to deterring criminal activity.  Please assist the Police Department in making Avondale Estates a place where criminals do not want to visit.

If you have not signed up to receive crime advisories and alerts from the City of Avondale Estates Police Department through Nixle, please go to http://www.nixle.com and sign up.