Police Response to Crimes in Georgia
The state of Georgia is no stranger to property crimes, which include burglary, larceny, motor vehicle theft, and arson. Non-violent crime occurred every 1 minute and 48 seconds throughout 2018 in GA. Since 2009, property crimes have remained the most widely-committed offenses in Georgia, exceeding 300,000 incidents every year, except in 2015 and 2017, where property crime rates totaled nearly 300,000 in those years.
But in 2021, residents in certain parts of Atlanta and Sandy Springs are seeing a significant spike in car thefts and break-ins. Sgt. Sal Ortega of the Sandy Springs police department reports 20 stolen vehicles and 17 vehicle break-ins in January of this year. In Atlanta, car burglars allegedly broke into 30 cars and trucks at the Capitol Gateway apartment complex, and authorities are preparing for further spikes in property crimes in Atlanta and throughout Georgia.
As you can see, property crime rates in Georgia are high and could remain high throughout 2021. This means law enforcement agencies will “step up their game” to crack down on property crimes in several parts of Georgia. How?
The Sheriff’s Concentrated Patrol and Aggressive Felony Interdiction unit, or “Scorpion” for short, is a patrol team comprised of 3 deputies and a Sergeant. Sheriff Tim Pounds of the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office created the Scorpion unit to buckle down on arrests in high-crime areas.
Fulton County is following the lead with an initiative called RAPIDS, short for “reduce violent crime and recidivism and produce improvement through data sharing.” Scorpion and RAPIDS both aim to reduce all crimes, including property crimes, through various means, such as technology, training, and increased patrols.
If successful, these initiatives or similar ones could come to your neighborhood.
Arrest rates may increase as a result. You could be in the wrong place at the wrong time and with the wrong people, and end up with theft charges. Since several Sheriff’s Departments in Georgia seem to prioritize property crime arrests, you may get suspected of a crime you didn’t even commit.
The police only need probable cause to arrest you. So, for example, if you are wearing oversized clothing with items in your pocket and don’t have a receipt for those items, the police may see it as an opportunity to take you into custody. From there, you could face theft charges such as larceny or shoplifting.
Accused of Theft?
If you’ve been accused of theft in Georgia, put a powerhouse team of attorneys on your side. To learn about your legal options, contact us at (866) 580-3089! Balbo & Gregg, Attorneys at Law, PC has your back.