Grant Park Security Patrol

By Chris Newman
We hope that all our Grant Park Security Patrol (GPSP) members have safe travels for the summer. Members in good standing may contact GPSP with travel schedules and our officers will take some extra time to check out around your home. Please forward to us the dates of your travel, emergency contact information, and the names of anyone who will have access to your home.
With school now out for the summer we have some reminders for your personal safety:

• There continue to be some laptop, cell phone and iPhone snatches. These crimes are occurring in the park and also at some of the local coffee shops, so please stay aware and do not leave valuables unattended while having that morning cup of coffee.
• This is a time of year when we see a spike in auto thefts and vehicle larcenies. Please keep cars clean of valuables and do not leave spare keys in the glove box or console. Vehicle larcenies continue to be a problem especially near the restaurants alongMemorial Drive. These are happening at all times of the day and night. Do not assume it’s OK to leave valuables in the car even while having lunch.

While on patrol June 15 Lt. Iosty responded to a 911 call that involved 3 young men attempting to break in to a minivan on Milledge. When they pried open the door the alarm sounded and this attracted the attention of several neighbors. Lt. Iosty intercepted and detained the suspects a few blocks away. After interviewing them for a short time, they admitted that they were going to steal the car, joy ride around for the night, and then sell the car on the street. They were arrested and charged with the crime. There was one juvenile and two young adults.
Officer Donovan Clements is our newest GPSP patrol officer. Officer Clements works in the domestic violence squad and did most of his patrol time in Zone 1. He will patrol on Tuesday at mid-day for the summer and he’ll adjust patrol days depending on our crime problems. He will patrol in his personal vehicle and he’ll have the GPSP decals on the sides of his car or truck.
There was a catalytic converter theft on Rosedale. It was taken from a 2008 Honda CRV. There have been other reports from nearby neighborhoods but this is the first from Grant Park in about four months. We’ll have an officer patrolling some irregular early morning hours, so if you witness any unusual activity, it is very important to call 911 so our officer can respond.
Thanks to all our members for your continuing support of GPSP. The quarterly payment is $40 per household and the annual payment is now $160. 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. We are in the process of going to an all-electronic notification system, so it is important to let us know of any changes. If GPSP does not have your correct address you will miss crime alerts, invoices and more. Members who join online can verify their payments and also edit email addresses there. Otherwise, send your new email address to grantparksecurity@mindspring.com. 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.
Major Keith Meadows has been promoted to commander of Zone 6. Please leave messages for him at the zone 6 precinct: 404-371-5331.
GPSP is a nonprofit 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. 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, CPAs, APCO Graphics Inc., and Adams Realtors for sponsoring additional patrol hours this quarter. For information about joining GPSP, please email Chris Newman at grantparksecurity@mindspring.com or link to the GPSP site by going to www.gpna.org and clicking on Security Patrol at the top.