Larcenies And Auto Thefts Show Largest Increase In Southeast Atlanta Crime Stats

A review of city crime statistics between Jan. 1 and May 14, show auto thefts in Atlanta Police Department Zone 6 are up nearly 16 percent compared with the same period last year.

There were 206 vehicles reported stolen in Zone 6, which includes the East Atlanta Village, Kirkwood and East Lake neighborhoods, among others.

For all of 2010, there were 664 reported auto thefts, down from 752 in 2009.

Total reported larcenies in the Jan. 1-May 14 period were 343, representing an increase of 20.4 percent from last year's comparable period.

In 2010 there were a total of 919 reported larcenies, down from 1,078 in 2009.

Though larcenies were reported in all of the neighborhoods that comprise East Atlanta Patch, the largest concentration seemed to be just south of the intersection of Moreland and DeKalb avenues near the Edgewood Retail District.

Vehicle larcenies however, are down 21.16 percent, through May 14. The number of reported vehicle larcenies was 380.

For all of 2010, APD recorded 1,396 and 2,070 in 2009 vehicle larcenies.

The decrease comes as law enforcement officials have been meeting with neighborhood groups all over the city touting the agency's "Clean Car" campaign, which urges residents not to leave valuables such as mobile phones, global positioning systems and wallets in their vehicles.

Another Zone 6 bright spot: Non-residential burglaries are down 66 percent through the May 14 reporting period.

Meanwhile, the East Atlanta Security Patrol, which provides additional police surveillance through hiring off-duty officers, reported these crimes for the week ended May 21:

• May 15: Police arrest a burglar found in a vacant home in the 900 block of Bouldercrest Road at 11:40 a.m.
• May 15 & 16: Two reported thefts of three A/C units in the 800 block of Maynard Terrace.
• May 18: Two vehicles reported stolen. A 1984 Ford F-250 from Piper Circle, and a 1990 Nissan with tag 369EWY stolen from the 500 block of Gresham Avenue.
• May 19: Burglary reported from an unlocked crawl space in the 1400 block of Glenwood Avenue; more than $1,000 in camping equipment taken.
•  May 21: Flat screen television taken from residence in the 1500 block of McPherson Avenue.
• In all of Zone 6, there 15 reported armed robberies for the week, up from 11 the week before. Only one of last week's 15 armed robberies occurred in East Atlanta.