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Armed Robbery Arrests, Braves Fan Robbed and Shot/Grant Park Security Patrol Report
By Chris Newman
 
On Saturday morning May 4 at 2am, officers responded to an armed robbery in the parking area near Tin Lizzy’s. There was a brief foot chase and three young men were arrested. They have been charged with robbery and aggravated assault. There is a plea and arraignment hearing on May 30. The Grant Park Security Patrol (GSPA) is working with the District Attorney’s office and is closely monitoring the case.
On Friday evening May 17, a man was walking from Turner Field to meet friends in the Grant Park area. He was alone and near the intersection of Georgia Avenue and Grant Street when he was approached by two young males who robbed and shot him. At this time, he is reported in stable condition but will require further surgery. There are no suspects, though APD Zone 6 investigators and Crime Stoppers are working to develop leads. GPSP continues to caution Braves fans who walk to the games to be extremely cautious and alert when walking home. In this incident the young man had left the game early and was alone.
GSPS continues to remind residents and their guests to keep cars clean. With our night patrols we seem to be having a decrease in vehicle larcenies but as we move into warmer weather we typically see an increase in these crimes. Also there will be many visitors to the park and the zoo during vacations, and that increased traffic presents an opportunity for thieves.  Do not park vehicles on side streets when attending Braves games. APD officers advise fans to park in a secure lot. APD officers made an arrest of a man who was breaking into a car on Hill Street. He had in his possession some items that had just been taken from a vehicle on Bryan Street near Boulevard. He has been charged with two counts of entering an auto.
With its current level of support GPSP is able to continue with the weekend patrols Friday to Sunday. Sgt. Bailey, Officer Davis, and Officer Sluss will be on patrol from about 6pm until 10 or 11pm, and occasionally from 10pm until 2am. After the baseball games they will spend time along Georgia and Atlanta Avenues to monitor pedestrian traffic.  Our officers log in to the Zone 6 dispatch and respond to all 911 calls in the neighborhood. It is important that you call 911 if you see suspicious activities.
Thanks to all our members for your continuing support of GPSP. The second quarter payment of $40 per household is due now. Members who pay annually will be sent an email reminder when payment is due. It’s easy to pay online, but if you’d prefer to receive a hard copy of the invoice with an envelope to pay by mail, just email GPSP.  If you are already a member, please encourage a friend or neighbor to join.
And a reminder to all members to notify GPSP if you are changing email addresses: if GPSP does not have your correct address you will miss crime alerts, invoices and more. Members who join online can verify their payments at the Security Patrol section of www.gpna.org and also edit email addresses there. Otherwise, send your new email address to grantparksecurity@mindspring.com.
GSPS has converted to an email notification system so it is important to let GSPS know of any changes of email addresses. Residents who wish to receive crime notices and safety tips should sign up at the gpna.org site and be sure to include zip code. If you are still receiving a paper copy of the newsletter and invoice, we ask that you consider the switch. It has greatly streamlined our volunteer hours.
In case you are not familiar with GPSP, it is a non-profit corporation run by volunteers. Membership costs $40 each quarter or $160 annually. GPSP uses that money to hire off-duty police officers to patrol the streets of Grant Park. During each patrol, the GPSP officer will usually pass each member’s house at least three times. If a member lets GPSP know that they will be out of town, additional attention is paid to their house while they are away.
Since GPSP began over twenty years ago, burglaries in the neighborhood have dropped by 70% and some of that dramatic decrease can be attributed to the work of the GPSP officers. The more members GPSP has, the more patrol hours can be afforded, so please join! There is now a convenient online payment program. Just go to www.gpna.org and click on Security Patrol at the top. Please let GPSP know how easy/hard or useful you find the online system as it is regularly being tweaked.
Thanks to Botwinick and Botwinick, APCO Graphics, Paul Harrison of Edward Jones Investing, Oldfield HOA, and Adams Realtors for sponsoring additional patrol hours.