Decatur Police Give Details About Crime Wave

About 130 people crowded into the Solarium on Monday night to hear Decatur police talk to the Oakhurst Neighborhood Association about efforts to stop the recent surge in robberies, carjackings and burglaries.

The crime wave broke last week, with five robbery/carjackings in six days. Oakhurst residents were especially concerned with two incidents in their neighborhood: the July 1 attempted robbery of a man sitting on his front porch using his laptop and the robbery of three women in Oakhurst Park on July 2. (See attached video for a description.)

Sgt. Jennifer Ross said police have some strong leads and hope to make arrests soon. In the carjacking last Wednesday, a 15-year-old was arrested.

Ross said the victims had talked to the GBI sketch artist. Those sketches haven't been released to the public because police hope to make arrests based on other information. Releasing the sketches too early could "muddy the water," she said.

Police said the suspects appear to be juveniles, but not from the City of Decatur.

Before the robberies and carjackings, residential burglaries were the big crime problem. Capt. Scott Richards said 16 homes were broken into between May 30 and July 1.

Four of those break-ins occurred in the southwest police zone that includes Oakhurst, 10 in the southeast zone that includes Winnona Park and two on the northwest zone.

Richards said the burglaries are related, with all occurring in the daytime and usually in the morning. The burglars kick in a door or break a window, then steal flat-screen televisions, laptops and jewelry. They often drive away in stolen vehicles.

Again, the suspects appear to be juveniles, Richards said.

Chief Mike Booker said police are sharing information with Atlanta police in Zone 6 and DeKalb County police in the south part of the county. The criminals don't pay attention to borders, Booker said, and appear to be operating in those contiguous areas.

DeKalb County police arrested four men over the July 4 weekend who may be connected to a crime surge in East Atlanta, including the street slaying of a pedestrian in East Atlanta Village.

Nuggets from the Oakhurst meeting:

• The Oakhurst Community Watch program, called Oakhurst Owls, has been inactive for several years. "We'd love to have somebody to take the baton," said Michael Vajda, association president.

• Deputy Police Chief Keith Lee said Oakhurst residents who live near the Atlanta and unincorporated DeKalb County borders should not call 911 if they only have cell phones. Those cell calls could be fielded by Atlanta and DeKalb's 911 centers and slow Decatur police response time. Instead, residents should call the Decatur police directly at 404-373-6551.

• Police conducted 260 vacation checks on residences over the July 4th holiday.

Police will meet with the Winnona Park Neighborhood Association at 7 p.m. Tuesday at the Decatur Recreation Center.

Previous Patch stories about crime:

• Decatur Man Chases Burglars From House
• Decatur Carjack Ends In Crash on South Candler
• Decatur Police: 15-Year-Old Stole The SUV
• Decatur Police, Oakhurst Association To Meet
• Face-To-Face With An Armed Criminal? What To Do
• Men Snatch Decatur Office Worker's Laptop, Purse
• Another Carjacking in Decatur
• Decatur Police: Juveniles Behind Crime Spree
• 3 Women Robbed At Oakhurst Park