Park Glenn Residents Talk Safety with Alpharetta Officials after Home Invasion

Alpharetta's Mayor and Mayor-elect were joined by council members, leaders of the to discuss home invasions and safety with approximately 100 members of Park Glenn subdivision on Sunday. The meeting was so large it had to be held at the Highlands, as the clubhouse at Park Glenn was too small.

"We were impressed with the response by the city and appreciative of their concern," said Chris Ideker, secretary of the Park Glenn Homeowners Association. "I could not believe size of the response from both the city officials, police and the residents. It was a very good meeting."

Park Glenn had not been a PACT neighborhood (Police And Citizens Together) before a but is now. Its PACT officer will spend a dedicated amount of time in the neighborhood, and will meet with residents to get to know them, the neighborhood and its public areas. Those same neighbors might be out walking more to get to know each other and their neighborhood better.

Park Glenn also might install more security measures at its tennis court parking lot, clubhouse and gate area. A $50 assessment for all homeowners is being considered to fund this. And signs may be installed to make visitors to the neighborhood aware of the PACT participation and surveillance. Stickers and signs might designate resident and visitor's cars.

Crime is down in the city this year, though these are serious crimes, they were told. Resources are being devoted to prevent this type of crime and to catch suspects.

Those targeted in these home invasions maybe be victims of a national crime pattern against people of Indian ethnicity that may have begun in the Northeast and may be South American gang-related.

In addition to the two invasions in Alpharetta–one in and another in –there have been at least two in Marietta. 
To prevent this kind of crime and keep an eye out for suspects, the city is considering installing cameras at various locations in the city. These could be tied in with security camera systems of city neighborhoods for more coverage. This will be discussed by City Council at its Dec. 12 meeting. And Alpharetta is working with Marietta, Atlanta and other jurisdictions to solve this crime.

During the HOA portion of the meeting, tips were shared to keep from being victims:

• Keep garage doors closed;
• Empty mailboxes;
• Lock cars parked outside;
• Leave no visible valuable in cars. 
  Tell neighbors when you will be out of town.
• Be careful when you are shopping, especially this time of year.  You 
  may buy a flat screen TV, put it in your trunk, and then go to another 
  store. Thieves will follow you, break into your trunk and be gone in less 
  than 60 seconds.  

Attending the meeting were:

• Mayor Arthur Lechtas 
• Mayor-elect David Belle Isle 
• Councilmen Mike Kennedy, Donald Mitchell, Chris Owens 
• Councilman-elect Jimmy Gilvin 
• Representatives of Glen Abbey, Highlands, Windward HOAs 
• Public Safety Director Gary George 
• Deputy Director Keith Sanders 
• 5 other members of Alpharetta Public Safety 
• Approximately 100 residents of Park Glenn.