Grant Park Security Patrol

By Carol Fisk
The neighborhood remained fairly quiet in February and March, but the warmer weather will probably bring a rise in crime. Auto thefts typically increase at this time of year, so please report any suspicious activity. So far, Grant Park Security Patrol (GPSP) has one report of a Ford explorer stolen from the 500 block of Cherokee overnight in late March. If you own a target vehicle, a “club” is a good investment. Another wise precaution against criminals is to keep doors and windows of your house locked while you’re working outdoors. Also, when the baseball season starts, be careful walking to and from the stadium. Pedestrians are sometimes robbed on or near Georgia Avenue, especially during the first month of the ball season.
In other crime news, bond was denied for a recent burglary suspect. There will be more court motions and a possible trial in late April or early May. Grant Park’s community prosecutor is handling this case. And the perennial problem of car break-ins is back along Memorial Drive and in the parking area in front on Oakland cemetery. Be sure to leave nothing in your vehicle that might tempt a thief.
If you see anything suspicious happening in the neighborhood at any time, please call 911. If a GPSP officer is on patrol at the time, he/she will hear the call, go out and respond. You can also contact Zone 3 commander, Major Reginal Mitchell on his cell phone at 404 273-8178 or by email at rmitchell@atlantaga.gov.
If you are a member, make sure 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 updates to grantparksecurity@mindspring.com.
Thanks for your continuing support of GPSP. A new quarter started this month. If you paid by the end of March, you are on the list for this quarter.
Thanks to Botwinick, CPAs, APCO Botwinick and Graphics Inc. and Adams Realtors for sponsoring additional patrol hours this quarter. And thanks to Linda Jones of Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage’s Intown Office for providing photocopying services this quarter. For information about joining GPSP, please call Chris Newman at 404 586-9590 or email him at grantparksecurity@mindspring.com or link to the GPSP site by going to www.gpna.org and clicking on Security Patrol at the top.
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. 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.