Serial Numbers Solve Crimes
Every day across the country, thieves make off with millions of dollars of merchandise, personal property, cash and other valuable assets.
One of the most important things in solving a theft crime is the ability of Police and other Law Enforcement Officers to identify stolen property. Every year at the Cumming Police Department questionable items and items believed to be stolen are encountered but because no serial numbers were recorded by the owner and documented in a police report they are unable to recover the items. This of course results in what is most likely a stolen item evading return to it's rightful owner.
In the effort to increase our ability to recover stolen property, I would like to strongly encourage everyone to record and safely store lists of serial numbers and photographs for valuable items that you own. When Police come to your home in the event of a crime, one of the first things they will ask for is a list of serial numbers for missing items. Please take time out of your schedule in the next few days to make a list of your valuable items, their serial numbers, and approximate value.
Once these serial numbers are recorded in an Incident Report, they can be entered on the National Crime Information Center database for immediate identification if law enforcement officers come in contact with the item. Without an identifying mark or serial number, stolen items cannot be entered on the database, severely limiting law enforcement's ability to identify and recover the items.
Take photographs of jewelry and other unique items. These photographs will assist officers and detectives and significantly increases the likelihood your property will be recovered in the event of a theft. Without photographs someone who is not familiar with an item may not recognize it solely from a description in a report even if it is in their hands. Photographs are especially important for identification of items with owner applied markings or numbers.
Also keep in mind that this list of items is invaluable in the case of complete loss due to fire, flood, etc.
With the help of homeowners in recording vital data about their valuables, the Police Department and Law Enforcement across the country can drastically improve the rate of return on stolen property.
CPD Vacation Checks
With the current state of affairs in the US Economy and the state of crime in general, it seems that the rate of burglary and property crime is constantly rising. The Cumming Police Department actively pursues means with which to combat the number of such crimes that occur within our jurisdiction.
We have been working on several projects and program ideas geared specifically at reducing the number of property crimes which occur in the City. The newest program we have rolled out is our Residence Vacation Check program.
Designed solely to provide peace of mind and increased identification of crimes in progress, this program should aid us dramatically in reducing crimes against homeowners leaving their residences unoccupied. Citizens who choose to participate in the program will provide the Police Department with information that will aid Officers in determining if something is amiss at the residence.
Our Officers regularly maintain patrol routes through local neighborhoods and residential areas, but unless a Police Officer knows the homeowner, he or she would not be able to determine if circumstances at the home were unusual. Participation in this program will greatly aid our Officers in protecting your homes. We hope that the citizens of Cumming will use this service to help Law Enforcement reduce these types of crime.
Please forward any questions you might have about this program to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. , and one of our Supervisors will respond shortly.
Welcome!
Over the past 10-15 years our small community has grown and changed in many different ways. As a result, the officers of our department are faced with new and difficult challenges each day. We are very proud of our department employees and their accomplishments. The men and women of the Cumming Police Department put forth a tremendous effort to assist the public and work diligently to keep our streets safe, and bring offenders to justice as swiftly as possible. As the Chief of Police, I hope that you will see how seriously we take our responsibility in not only protecting life and property, but also in working to help our community. Our citizens and their safety are my primary concern.
It is the goal of not only myself, but also that of our Mayor, City Council and City Administrators to promote a family-oriented community in which to thrive, and to extend a warm welcome to those passing through. As an extension of City Hall, it is the my responsibility, and that of our department, to make sure this goal is carried out.
Please note that directions to the Police Department and other important information can be found on our site. We hope you will find this site easy to use. If you have any questions, comments or suggestions, please feel free to call our administrative office at 770-781-2003.
Our webmaster can be contacted at:
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Sincerely,
Chief Scott Burgess
Contact Information
Phone: 770-781-2000
Fax: 770-781-3481
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