Over the course of the past year, I have talked about our efforts to keep the community informed.  

We participate in a voluntary alert program known as Nixle, we have a Twitter account and we have set up a Facebook account for the City of Conyers. 

Just last month, these tools have proven that they work. On Jan. 25, we were looking for occupants of a vehicle to question them in reference to a theft that occurred.  

A description of the vehicle and its occupants was sent out as an alert on Nixle, posted on Facebook, and tweeted on Twitter. Three minutes after the alert went out, a tip came in from a Nixle user. 

Thanks to this call, the vehicle and occupants were identified and an arrest was made in the case. With the help of the community, we can make a difference.   

For more information on how to connect to us through these programs, please visit conyerspolice.com and look on the bottom left side of the screen.

Many citizens are concerned with the crime rate within the community and the effects the rate has on their safety. 

I am pleased to announce that the 2012 crime rate for the City of Conyers has decreased from the 2011 crime rate.  The final numbers are as follows:  

Crime       2011 2012

Murder        2       0

Rape           6       1

Robbery      34       27

Aggravated Assault   38       38

Burglary       276    161

Arson                         1        2

Thefts                 814    758

Motor vehicle Thefts  72      87

TOTAL       1243   1074

We appreciate all the help the community has provided in getting information to us and calling us when they see suspicious activity. 

With community assistance and the hard work of the men and women of the Conyers Police Department, we were able to reduce the overall crime rate by 13.596 percent.

We recently made several promotions within the police department. Jack Dunn and Derek Parker were both promoted to the position of captain. Captain Dunn will be in charge of the Field Services Bureau and Captain Parker will be in charge of the Administrative Services Bureau. Clay Ivey and Chris Moon were both promoted to the position of lieutenant. Lieutenant Ivey is assigned as the evening watch commander and Lieutenant Moon is assigned as the Criminal Investigations Division Commander. Kristen Moore was promoted to the position of sergeant.  Sergeant Moore is assigned to the Criminal Investigations Division. Congratulations to each of them.    

We have also scheduled another Citizen Police Academy which will begin in March. For more information, please check out our website at conyerspolice.com or contact community outreach Sergeant Peggy Dunn at 678-374-5603 or peggy.dunn@conyersga.gov.

This past week, the Conyers City Council recognized city employees who had perfect attendance for calendar year 2012.  Members from the police department who reached this goal were Daniel Drummond, Gary Hegwood, communications supervisor Tahina Westbrook, officer Spencer Holland, officer Everett Searcy, Detective Juan Morales, Sergeant Peggy Dunn, Lieutenant Tanya Perry and Captain Derek Parker.

I also want to extend my congratulations and appreciation to officer Vance Strawn for 10 years of service to the City of Conyers. I would also like to congratulate Corporal Corey Hambrick on being awarded his master’s degree. These are milestone accomplishments that I am very proud of.