Newspaper Page Text
LOCAL
.A__4
CHAMPION!
April 14 - 20, 2016 • Page 8A
Clarkston Police brief council, public on burglaries
Clarkston Police Chief Christine Hudson briefed Clarkston’s city council on recent burglary activity in the area as well as preventative
measures being taken. Photo by R. Scott Belzer
by R. Scott Belzer
sbelzer@dekalbchamp.com
Clarkston’s city council
and mayor received a crash
course on crime April 5 dur
ing a regularly scheduled
monthly meeting.
Clarkston Police Chief
Christine Hudson and
Detective Sgt. Amanda
Pritchett presented facts,
figures and solutions regard
ing local burglaries to the
council during its monthly
work session. The pair de
tailed the amount of recent
burglaries, where they have
taken place, and what’s to
be done in stopping such
behavior.
According to Hudson,
Clarkston has experienced
46 burglaries from Jan. 1 to
March 31. The majority of
these burglaries (37) have
taken place at apartment
complexes located within
city limits. Six burglaries
have taken place at homes
while three have taken place
at commercial locations.
“We had 14 of the 37
[apartment complex burglar
ies] were committed by two
juveniles who have been ar
rested in January,” Hudson
said.
The chief said the ma
jority of the burglaries have
taken place along Brockett
Road as well as Marquis
Park Apartments along Mon
treal Road.
Hudson also said the
majority of burglaries taking
place inside such apartment
complexes have been com
mitted by juveniles. Pritchett
likened their activity to a
“systematic business opera
tion” in which other juveniles
are recruited, trained in the
art of thievery and put to
work in criminal activity.
“It’s a business opera
tion for these kids,” Pritch
ett said. “They will recruit
other children who ‘learn the
game,’ bring them in, and
fence the items.”
Hudson said Clarkston’s
Criminal Investigation Di
vision has “a lot of good
leads” on the juveniles com
mitting such burglaries but
has yet to get substantial
evidence.
“We’re working closely
with DeKalb County’s gang
task force unit to include
their burglary detectives,”
Hudson said.
Pritchett said an issue
arises in juvenile court rarely
holding burglary offend
ers for an extended period
of time. The sergeant said
many offenders become fa
miliar to police due to repeat
crimes.
“It’s a cycle,” Pritch
ett said. “It’s much bigger
than us. These are kids
who don’t really have good
homes where poverty may
be an issue, so they’re
stealing to sell quickly.”
To combat such activity,
Hudson said the police de
partment participates in and
plans on hosting activities
such as “park-and-walks,”
where police conduct walk
throughs in neighborhoods
and the downtown area;
crime prevention seminars
to discuss the issues with
residents; and concentrate
patrols in problem areas.
“We’re committed to
keeping the residents of
Clarkston safe,” Hudson
said. “One final option would
be to consider unfreezing
the three patrol positions
that have been frozen.”
Hudson said the council
and police department will
be holding a meeting with
apartment managers and
owners on April 20.
“We’re going to address
concerns regarding commu
nity safety there and ways
to make their complexes
safer,” Hudson said. “We
want to be able to have bet
ter relationships between
the police department and
apartment complexes.”
City manager Keith
Barker said the council and
police department have met
with various apartment of
ficials for the past 8 months
to help address the issue.
So far, five meetings have
taken place.
Councilman Dean
Moore said the city council
has met with the Atlanta
Apartment Association,
whose officials suggested
bringing together apartment
complex owners to take a
unified stance against re
peat offenders.
“Some of the people
committing crimes may get
kicked out of one set of
apartments may just move
to another set of apart
ments,” Moore said. “The re
lationship between different
management groups could
go a long ways in preventing
that tactic.”
Barker suggested com
piling a “master list” of the
major offenders in the area
and circulating it throughout
local complexes.
“The problem comes
in the fact that most of
the time, it’s not the lease
holders committing these
crimes,” Pritchett said. “Most
of the time, it’s who they’re
bringing into their home.”
Hudson concluded her
presentation by outlining
how much it would cost for
two four-hour shifts concen
trating solely on burglaries
in the area during peak
burglary season. From May
7 until Aug. 7, the 70 days
when students and teens
are typically out of school,
two officers would cost the
city $9,024.
Barker recommended
absorbing the amount into
the council’s current budget
to make a valiant effort.
“We’re certainly willing to
provide additional resources
to suppress some of the
burglaries,” Barker said. “I
think $9,000 is an expense
we can absorb.”
According to Clarkston’s
official website, the
Clarkston Police Depart
ment currently has 18 full
time officers, 35 reserve
officers and four civilian em
ployees.
city administrator to resign
1
lithonia
by Carla Parker
carla@dekalbchamp.com
Lithonia city administra
tor Eddie Moody will re
sign effective June 3.
Mayor Deborah Jack-
son announced Moody’s
decision to resign during
the April 4 city council
meeting.
“We brought him out of
retirement in 2012 and he
has really stepped up to
really be diligent and going
above and beyond the call
of duty,” Jackson said.
Moody said after the
meeting that it was time for
him to go back into retire
ment.
“You know when it’s
time,” he said. “I told the
mayor before the year
[2015] was over that it was
just time for me to go. I
think I’m actually facing
burnout, and I’m getting
older, and the kids are
moving to different parts
of the country. I’ve always
wanted to do a little travel
ing and I don’t want to see
my grandkids grow up and
[I] at least not have the op
portunity to see them at
dTif
Moody
some point.”
Moody said he had
planned to leave on his
birthday on March 28.
“But there are some
things that I need to try to
see if I can’t get completed
and then be able to transi
tion and turn them over,” he
said. “I don’t want to put a
whole plate of something on
somebody else’s back. I’m
trying to tie those things up.”
Moody said he will con
tinue to stay engaged in
the city.
“I’m going to come and
do stuff,” he said. “I’m not
leaving.”
Moody was hired as
the city’s police chief in De
cember 2012. He was the
DeKalb County police chief
from 2001-04 and the first
Black to head the county
police department.
He moved to city ad
ministration in November
2014 after the seat was left
vacant by Phil Howland,
who accepted the permit
ting concierge coordinator
position in Avondale Es
tates.
Jackson said the city
will use the services of
Tom Berry, former city
manager of Thomasville,
to assist in searching for
a new city administrator.
Berry helped the city with
the last search for a city
administrator.