The Acworth Police Department’s criminal investigations division is one of the best in the state. We have a highly trained team of motivated individuals who are dedicated to the mission of providing excellent service to Acworth residents by thoroughly investigating and solving cases. As we all know, sometimes cases go unsolved, but lately, it has gotten easier to solve certain types of cases, thanks to advances in technology.
Property crimes already are notably low in the city, but with the advent of doorbell cameras and other home surveillance systems, homeowners now can capture and provide excellent evidence in their cases. Besides the increased availability of home surveillance video systems, we can utilize social media to post images of suspects caught in the act and solicit the public’s assistance in identifying the culprits. As a result, we have solved a number of cases with the help of the community.
Partnering with the public to solve crimes is not a new idea. In the past, agencies displayed “Wanted” posters to obtain the public’s assistance in identifying criminals. Now, we use social media to post photos in the same, but much more efficient, way. As a result of expanding our technological capabilities, we are exploring more creative ways to reach out to our community for help in solving crimes.
One way we do this is through the Acworth Camera Connection, which invites city residents and businesses to register their personal camera systems to help our police department access videos of crimes captured on these systems. When the police believe your camera possibly could have recorded evidence of a crime, officers will contact you and ask you to access the footage. Participation, of course, always is voluntary, and you can deny officers access and remove your registration at any time. This is a simple, yet innovative, idea that enables our detectives to quickly access video evidence, share it with the public and identify criminals.
The Acworth Police Department is committed to the community we love and serve. We’d welcome the opportunity to partner with you as a community stakeholder in public safety through our Acworth Camera Connection program. Additional information and registration is available at https://bit.ly/3MHL60l.
While utilizing a camera system is a great way to protect your home and belongings, taking some simple steps, like locking vehicle doors, also will go a long way in preventing property crime. As the weather starts getting warmer, criminals will be more likely to be out and about, looking for easy money and vulnerable targets. One way they will attempt to do this is by stealing from vehicles. More often than not, the vehicles are left unlocked, and the criminals simply flip the handle to gain access. The best way to protect your belongings is to be proactive. Do not keep valuables in your vehicle, but if you do, keep them out of sight and lock your doors.
We are grateful to have a community that is dedicated to working together to protect each other. There always will be people in the world who want to take other people’s property, but we can work to prevent crimes, keep our community safe and bring criminals to justice.
– Chief Jesse Evans has served more than 20 years as a prosecutor and law enforcement professional. He is a native of Acworth and knows there is no better place to live, work and play.
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