Part I crimes (Murder, Rape, Robbery, Aggravated Assault, Burglary, Theft, Arson and Motor Vehicle Theft) are currently down year to date. The greatest decrease has occurred in the category of burglaries.  With the continued assistance of our community working with the police department, we can send the message that we are taking control of crime in our city.

Last month at the April 18 City Council meeting, we recognized several of our community heroes and presented Mr. Wangombe Wright and Ms. Kenya Sloan with a proclamation for “Citizen Heroes Day” for their invaluable assistance to us as witnesses in our Hobby Lobby attempted kidnapping and robbery. They were able to provide us with information that resulted in the capture of the suspect.  The person that was arrested was also involved in a similar situation in DeKalb County previously.  When this suspect was arrested, it led to DeKalb County Police being successful in solving their case as well. 

As the school year comes to a close, I would like to take time to congratulate all of the upcoming graduates and wish them well in their future endeavors. I want to encourage everyone to stay safe this summer as well as remind parents that the City of Conyers does have a curfew for juveniles. The curfew will be strictly enforced this summer.  The hours of the curfew are between 9:30 p.m. to 6 a.m. during the week and between 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.  This information is available at www.conyersga.com under the “About” tab and then under the link to City Ordinances.  

Juveniles violating this curfew will be dealt with in accordance with juvenile court law and procedures. However, parents can also be charged, and the violation will be tried in municipal court. 

After a careful review of the nominations received for the awards of Police Officer of the Year and Dispatcher of the Year, I am pleased to announce that Officer John Bruce and Dispatcher Stacy Worthey were chosen for these prestigious awards respectively.

John and Stacy were honored at the annual Loyalty Day celebration on last weekend on Saturday, May 12 at VFW Post 5290 in Conyers (See page 2).

This week marks the end of the National Police Week honoring fallen officers. Recently, Officer Paul Bernichon had the opportunity to represent the Conyers Police Department at the Georgia Public Safety Training Center Law Enforcement Memorial Ceremony. He participated in the ceremony by playing taps as the names of fallen officers for 2011 were revealed on the memorial at the training center.

I also want to extend my congratulations to Officer Keith Kinder for completing his Associates Degree of Applied Science in Criminal Justice from Columbia Southern University.  

I continue to be impressed with the caliber of the employees of the police department. They definitely make a difference in this community, but I also recognize we could not be this successful without the support of the City Council, the Mayor, the City Manager, all the city of Conyers employees and citizens. The police department appreciates all of your support.