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Crime & Safety

No Time for Crime in Athens

A panel of experts spills the beans on crime in Athens.

Crime is, and has been, on the decline here for many years as it grows elsewhere. A standing-room only crowd packed into the headquarters recently for a forum on crime, hosted by the Federation of Neighborhoods. It was intended to inform the public of trends and to enlist their continued support in helping the police deal with crimes.

A panel--composed ACC Police Chief Jack Lumpkin, Major Carter Greene, Major Mark Sizemore, UGA Chief Jimmy Williamson and Clarke County Sheriff Ira Edwards--were all clearly using the same playbook and sang a harmonious tune throughout the evening.

Where is the highest concentration of crime? The panel replied that crime is not area specific, but follows the drug problem: if drugs are being bought and sold, crime is close behind. Interestingly, due to the economy, the incidents of false theft reports have increased.

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The biggest issues facing local law enforcement are residential burglaries and metal theft. The burglaries generally happen during the day while people are at work and electronics--think flat screen TVs and laptops--account for most of the theft. Marking and inventorying your personal property, along with creating neighborhood watch programs, were three of the many ideas presented.

The theft of metals is a little tougher. If not caught in the act, criminals find themselves in possession of a raw material, one which cannot be traced. Making a case is almost impossible. Laws are pending which will implement a 72-hour wait for monies, removing the instant reward for criminals and drug addicts. Still, arrests and convictions for this and all crimes are directly related to an involved community.

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The Hispanic gang issue appears to have been painted worse than it is. In fact, Chief Lumpkin reported, most gang arrests are now second-generation immigrants who are American citizens.

“Get them in and get them out, jails are for serious criminals," said Sheriff Edwards.

Thel has not had an overcrowding issue for several months, not something the rest of Georgia can boast of.

The county has only but both have made great strides in safety by reducing collisions, which was their intended purpose. Due to their cost, no decision has been made to purchase others.           

There has been a slight rise in violent crimes this year, but the total number is 14 more than last year at this time. In 90% percent of those cases, the victim knew the perpetrator and was highly intoxicated. Far from blaming the victim, they said poor judgment placed them in areas which increased the chances of assault and their judgment was generally, severely impaired by excessive alcohol consumption.

Community involvement is and always will be the best deterrent of crime. Get involved and pay attention was the general message for the evening.

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