'Innocence in Peachtree Corners is Gone'

The preliminary numbers from the FBI Uniform Crime Report for 2010 show a 5.5 percent drop in violent crime and a 2.8 percent drop in property crime across the nation between 2010 and 2009.  But if you happen to live in Peachtree Corners or Berkeley Lake, that might not mean much - particularly if you become a victim.

Locally, the Gwinnett County Police Department’s 2010 crime numbers indicate a very slight increase in the sheer number of property crimes in unincorporated parts of the county, like Peachtree Corners. 

There were 13,748 property crimes reported to GCPD in 2010 compared to 13,701 in 2009.  But considering the overall number of property crimes and the fact that the number of property crimes in this area has steadily declined since a high of 21,253 in 2006, the 2010 increase of 47 cases is statistically insignificant.  And when the growth of the population served by Gwinnett County Police – from 639,713 in 2006 to 708,231 in 2010 – is factored in, the ratio indicates that property crimes “per capita” are steadily down.

“An increase in the number of law enforcement officers on the streets appears to correlate directly with the steady decline in crime,” said Cpl. Jake Smith of the Gwinnett County Police Department.  “In addition, Gwinnett County has bolstered its Criminal Investigation Division over the past few years as the area has grown.” 

But police are the first to admit that all of the favorable numbers in the world won’t matter when you are the victim.  And many Peachtree Corners residents are concerned that the weak economy may be fueling more property crime such as burglary and auto theft. 

Case in point; a Peachtree Corners resident’s car was stolen from the driveway of her home in broad daylight this past week.  In 2009, the same resident had Christmas presents stolen from her car as it sat in front of her home.

“I have lived in Peachtree Corners for over 20 years because I thought my family was safe,” Karen said, her last name and address withheld. “This is such an invasion of privacy and trust.”

Karen, who lives in a nice, quiet neighborhood in Peachtree Corners, said that she now plans to have a security system installed at her home because of the thefts, adding, “Innocence in Peachtree Corners is gone.”

Law enforcement everywhere is aware that pockets of criminal activity will arise from time to time, sometimes randomly and even in the best neighborhoods.  In fact, those neighborhoods are often the prime targets of property crime.  But the best defense against crime is a good offense; awareness and involvement.

“We try to make sure the public has access to us as a department,” says Smith, “and we encourage citizen involvement in the department and the community.” 

Gwinnett County Police have, of course, recovered numerous stolen vehicles and made subsequent arrests in the past; a friend of Karen's got her recently stolen car back due to the work of the Gwinnett County Police Department.

But for Karen and her family, all the improved crime statistics and happy endings in the world won’t replace the fear and uncertainty that an auto theft in her own driveway has caused.

“We’re afraid to walk into the house when we come home,” she says. “Now we check everything, even the closets.”