Crime Update: 2 arrested as police sweep Briarcliff Road area

[Michelle Friedman]

All,

I attended Woodland Hills' Neighborhood Meeting this past week.
Police were present and gave some crime updates and tips for
protecting yourself:

Good news - Several arrests were made last weekend for violent
robberies which occurred up and down Briarcliff. These guys had been
committing some very violent crimes... If the stabbing attacker is not
already in jail, they expect he will be in jail soon. They have
collected some evidence in that case. (More details on these arrests
are in the AJC article below)

Crime rate is still down in our area, and violent crime is still
extremely rare. You can check out crime statistics from Dekalb
County's crime mapping website @ http://www.crimemapping.com/map/ga/dekalbcounty

The main crimes in this area:
Property crimes - mostly entering autos and burglaries.
DO NOT leave your purse, laptop, ipod, or anything of value in your
car, and keep your car doors locked.

Tips for protecting yourself:
- Purchase Motion-Sensing spotlights for outside the house
- If someone comes to your door, DON'T open the door, but you SHOULD
answer it... burglars in the area are looking to rob houses with no
one home, and they sometimes knock before breaking in. If you answer
the door, they will probably not bother you, and choose to rob a
different house.
------------------------------------------

AJC Article about last weekend's arrests:
Sunday, April 12, 2009
2 arrested as police sweep Briarcliff Road area
Recent attacks on women have neighborhood on edge
By CHRISTIAN BOONE

DeKalb County police said Sunday they are focusing “all resources” on
a stretch of Briarcliff Road extending from North Druid Hills to
Lavista roads, as they picked up two men in connection with recent
armed robberies.

“As part of our ongoing investigation we are working to determine if
they or other individuals may be linked” to three recent attacks
against area women, said DeKalb Police spokeswoman Bettina Durant.

Three women have been attacked along Briarcliff in the past 26 days.
The latest incident occurred early Saturday morning at the Park at
Briarcliff apartment complex on Druid Valley Drive.

An unidentified woman was physically assaulted and robbed around 5:30
a.m. after returning home from a night out, Durant said.

Later Saturday, police completed a sweep of the area and arrested and
charged two suspects with robbing a pizza deliveryman and a taxi cab
driver.

Police on Sunday weren’t ready to connect either alleged bandit to the
attacks on three women.

Investigators also have not yet determined if the women’s attacks are
linked, Durant said. While the incidents share geography, a clear
pattern has not emerged.

On March 17, a man wearing a mask and gloves grabbed a 54-year-old
female jogger from behind on Southland Vista Court at Briarcliff and
stabbed her several times. His motive is unclear.

Last Tuesday afternoon, a woman was sexually assaulted as she moved
into her apartment at the Marquis at Briarcliff on Gables Way. Her
masked attacker apparently was lying in wait inside the apartment,
police said.

In Saturday’s incident, police say the suspect forced his victim into
her apartment but did not sexually assault her. Though he wasn’t
wearing a mask, his face was covered.

Residents at the Park at Briarcliff said Sunday they have noticed an
uptick in crime, mostly robberies, in what had been a quiet
neighborhood.

Carol Amos, 52, said a neighbor’s car was stolen recently. That
neighbor and other residents have complained about the gate to the
complex being left open, Amos said — as it was Sunday afternoon.

The apartment’s management office was closed Sunday.

Amos said she has noticed a security guard patrolling the apartments
at night.

For a brief time Sunday afternoon, two DeKalb County police patrol
cars were stationed at the entrance.

“You think of Briarcliff as a pretty crime-free area,” said longtime
resident Tom Millican, 65. “I can’t remember anything like [the recent
attacks] happening over here.”

Durant said DeKalb police will continue stepped-up patrols on
Briarcliff Road.

http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/dekalb/stories/2009/04/12/briarcliff_area_crime.html

[dla...@mindspring.com]

Thanks

Diane