Dalton Police Blog

Lane Closures Coming This Weekend

In order to pave the way for the 2nd annual "Raisin Hope" charity event this weekend, there will be several lane/road closures in Dalton and Whitfield County.

On Saturday morning, October 4th, starting at 9 AM a bicycle ride will leave Heritage Point Park on three different routes.  There may be traffic delays in the area around the Dalton Bypass as the cyclists leave or return.

On Sunday morning, October 5th, between 5 AM and 6 PM several streets in the downtown Dalton area will be closed.  They include:

• East Bound Traffic on Waugh Street from Selvidge Street to Glenwood Avenue.  The West Bound traffic lanes will remain open
• Selvidge Street from Waugh Street to Gordon Street.
• Pentz Street from Waugh Street to Cuyler Street
• Gordon Street from Selvidge Street to Pentz Street.
• King Street from Selvidge Street to Pentz Street
• Crawford Street from Selvidge Street to Pentz Street

Also on Sunday, there will be a 5K run/walk from 7:30 A.M. to 8:30 A.M. that follows the same route as the Silver Bell Sprint:

• Start- Hamilton Street at King Street
• Downtown Streets Affected
• Hamilton Street
• King Street
• Thornton Avenue
• Emory Street
• Franklin Street
• Pentz Street
• Cuyler Street
• Waugh Street
• Selvidge Street
• Gordon Street

Click thumbnail below for a larger version of the map of the downtown Dalton traffic plan for Sunday, October 5th.

For more information on the Raisin Hope charity weekend, click here.

Thieves Rip Off Bikes From Boys and Girls Club

Over a two week period, someone stole 17 mountain bikes from a storage building belonging to the Boys and Girls Club at 1013 Underwood Street in Dalton.  Officials with the Boys and Girls Club told investigators that the thieves apparently only took a few bikes at a time over the two week period, so nobody noticed the bikes were missing.  The bikes were purchased with donated funds for use by members of the Boys and Girls Club, and are valued at approximately $300 apiece.

Shortly after the thefts were discovered, a staff member of the Boys and Girls Club noticed someone riding one of the bikes in the neighborhood, and stopped him.  He told the staffer that he bought the bike from a man standing near the storage shed for ten dollars.  He returned the bike after being informed it was stolen.  To date, three of the bikes have been recovered in the neighborhood.  8 black bikes, 1 light blue bike, and 5 yellow bikes are still missing.

The missing bikes have a distinct design and are easily identifiable.  They are manufactured by Haro, and are only available from two retailers in the region.  One of those is Bear Creek Cycles in Dalton, which sold the bikes to the Boys and Girls Club.  Bear Creek told investigators that they've only sold two other Haro bicycles.  The other supplier in the area is East Ridge Bike Shop in East Ridge, Tennessee. 

The Boys and Girls Club is asking that anyone with the bikes to please return them to the building at 1013 Underwood Street.  Anyone with any information is asked to contact Dalton Police Detective Jason Bishop at 706-278-9085, extension 214.

UPDATE (10-2-08): Thanks to a tip phoned in to Det. Bishop, the Dalton Police have recovered most of the stolen bikes.  Click here for more information.

The images below are Haro bikes, identical to the ones stolen from the Boys and Girls Club (click thumbnails below for a larger version of the image).

Motor Mania 2008 Fundraiser is a Success

Motor Mania 2008, a fund-raiser for the GreenHouse child advocacy center in Dalton, was met with success on Saturday, September 27th.

Classic car owners from across Northeast Georgia turned out to show off their cars, and also watch as the Georgia State Patrol demonstrated a fast-rope deployment out of a helicopter.  The Dalton Fire Department performed a vehicle extrication demonstration, and a detective from the Dalton Police Department was on hand to show off the Crime Scene Unit, and also to demonstrated some investigative tools.  The police department's "Fatal Vision" unit was also on hand, demonstrating the dangers of driving under the influence.  Inflatable play areas kept children entertained.  Several musical acts also took the stage to entertain the crowd before awards were handed out to the judges' picks for the best cars in each category.

Update:  The GreenHouse estimates that the event raised nearly $18,000. Given the poor weather and the gasoline shortage in Georgia, officials call it a "huge success".  GreenHouse director Allison George said, "It's amazing how much people will step up to the plate and help out for this cause."

Proceeds from the event go to benefit the day-to-day operations of the GreenHouse.  It is a non-profit organization that provides a neutral, safe place where child victims of physical and sexual abuse in Whitfield and Murray Counties can be counseled, and also interviewed and videotaped to aid in criminal investigations.  It's a child-friendly refurbished house trimmed in green and decorated in a rain forest theme.  It provides a safe, non-threatening atmosphere for the child and his/her family during the investigative process.  Child victims are interviewed and videotaped by a trained child forensic interviewer.  Therapy is often provided on-site to help the child victims begin the healing process.  If referred for prosecution, a victim advocate and prosecutor introduce themselves to the child at the GreenHouse.

The GreenHouse is an extension of the Conasauga Circuit District Attorney's Victim/Witness Assistance Program.  It's a full member of the Children's Advocacy Centers of Georgia.  The Center operates as an arm of the District Attorney's office, which provides governmental financial support, but also with a separate 501c3 Board of Directors ("Friends of the GreenHouse, Inc.") which allows community, corporate, and individual support for service to child victims of abuse in the Whitfield and Murray County areas.

Below are some of the cars on display at Motor Mania 2008 (click thumbnails below for a larger version of the image)

Dalton Police Host MATEN Meeting

The Dalton Police Department hosted the September Mountain Area Traffic Enforcement Network II (MATEN II) meeting and road check on Thursday night. Officers from Dalton Police Department’s Traffic Enforcement Unit and the Situational Response Unit worked in conjunction with 45 law enforcement officers form agencies from across the northwest corner of Georgia which make up MATEN II.  MATEN II is one of 16 different networks across the state of Georgia that meet monthly for a network meeting and to conduct a road checks. The traffic networks are sponsored in part by the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety.

During the meeting officers were given legal updates and training on traffic related issues. During the road check, officers checked motorist for such things as proper driver’s license, compliance with Georgia’s Safety Belt Law, proper insurance, proper vehicle registration and drivers under the influence of alcohol or drugs.   

In addition to the MATEN II road check, the Dalton Police Department will be holding several other road checks from now until the end of the year.

As always, the Dalton Police would like to remind motorist to Slow Down, Buckle Up, and Drive Sober.

Dalton Police Release Red Light Camera Data

At Tuesday's meeting of the Public Safety Commission, Dalton Police Chief Jason Parker reported that the Red Light Camera program in Dalton is being met with success.

Currently, two intersections in Dalton are being monitored by Red Light Cameras: Thornton Avenue at Waugh Street and US 41 (Chattanooga Road) at Shugart Road.

In their first month of operation, the cameras at the Thornton/Waugh intersection detected 850 violations in August of 2007.  During that first month, no citations were issued, only warnings.  Nearly a year later, in June of 2008, only 107 violations occurred at the same intersection (74 of them in the northbound lanes).

In January of 2008, the Red Light Cameras at the Shugart/US 41 intersection went on-line.  In their first full month of operation, February of 2008, 587 warnings were issued.  In April 2008, after citations were being issued, only 382 violations occurred.  Numbers were higher in May and June of 2008, with 616 violations in May.  Violations in the eastbound and westbound lanes of US 41 have shown an overall decline since February of 2008. 

In the six month period from January 2008 to June of 2008, there were 15 fewer crashes in vicinity of Shugart/US 41 than occurred between July and December of 2007.  There were 3 fewer crashes in the physical intersection.  Similarly, there were 2 fewer crashes in the vicinity of Waugh/Thornton in 2008 than in the last six months of 2007.

To view the full data from the Red Light Cameras in Dalton, click the following link:  Download dalton_red_light_camera_stats_sep_23_2008.pdf

After Chief Parker's presentation on Tuesday, the Public Safety Commission voted to recommend the continuation of the Red Light Camera program in Dalton.

Dalton is not the only city in Georgia seeing Red Light Cameras translate into fewer drivers running red lights and few crashes.  To read more about the use of Red Light Cameras from the Georgia Municipal Associaton, click here.

Waugh Street Will Be Down to One Lane Wednesday Morning

Wednesday morning, September 24th, Waugh Street will be coned off by Dalton Public Works to one lane between Broadrick Street and Manly Street due to construction at Dalton High School.

At 7:00 AM there will be numerous concrete trucks (28) coming in to pour the foundation for Dalton High School’s new athletic field house.  This operation will take about three or four hours. Since there will be several trucks stopped on Waugh Street, they will have one lane committed to the trucks.  Flag men will direct traffic.

The lane closures are expected around 5:30 AM and could last until the afternoon.  The concrete trucks will begin lining up around 7:00 AM.

As always, the Dalton Police Department urges motorists to plan to allow plenty of time to reach their destination, and to slow down, stay alert and drive safely.

Public Safety Commission Confirms New Officers

New Dalton Police Officers Matias Castillo and Sean Hudson were both officially confirmed by vote of the Dalton Public Safety Commission on Tuesday, September 23rd.

Castillo and Hudson both graduated from the North Georgia Regional Police Academy on September 12th, and began their duties with the Dalton Police Department on September 15th.  They were introduced to the Public Safety Commission Tuesday by Chief Jason Parker.

Officers Castillo and Hudson are introduced to the Public Safety Commission by Chief Jason Parker (click on thumbnails for a larger version of the image)

For more on Dalton's newest officers, click here.

Dalton Police Department Places 2nd in Governor's Challenge

The Dalton Police Department recently attended the Governor’s Challenge Awards Luncheon, where it placed second in the state for a Class 4 Agency (50 to 100 officers).  The Governor’s Challenge, which is sponsored by the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety (GOHS), was held at the Georgia National Fairgrounds in Perry, Georgia.  About 500 officers from around the state attended the September 19th event.  This was the eighth year that the Governor’s Challenge has been held and the Dalton Police Department has placed in all eight annually events.
 
The Governor’s Challenge is an incentive program designed to award law enforcement agencies in their achievements for enforcement of Georgia Traffic Law and educating the public on highway safety.   Areas that law enforcement agencies are judged on include, policies and procedures in place for its officers relating to traffic enforcement, training that officers receive annual on traffic related issues, any officer recognition programs in place, and enforcement activity during the year.  The department is also graded on its efforts to educate citizens on the importance of seatbelt use, the consequences of driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs, and the dangers of speeding.

The Governor’s Challenge was developed by GOHS to lower serious injury accidents and fatalities through education and enforcement, and has been used as a model program by other states around the country in an effort to make highways safer for motorists.

The Dalton Police Department would like to remind motorists to Slow Down, Buckle Up, and Drive Sober.

Dalton Police Identify Suspects in Parking Lot Thefts

The Dalton Police Department has identified a suspect in a pair of thefts that occured September 8th in the parking lots of Wal-Mart and Home Depot on Shugart Road.  Bobby Harris has been identified as the man who stole boxes of tools from two pickup trucks parked in the stores' parking lots.  Denise Harris (aka Denise Jones and Denise Antonowicz) is also believed to have been in the car with Bobby Harris. Both are believed to still be in the north Georgia, south Tennessee area.  They are shown in the pictures below.

Between 12:00 and 12:15 PM on September 8th, a light blue station wagon, drove through the parking lot of the Wal-Mart.  After spotting a parked pickup truck with the tailgate down, the car stopped and the driver (identified as Mr. Harris) got out and stole a box of tools from the bed of the truck.  A few minutes later, the same vehicle stopped in the Home Depot parking lot, and the driver stole another set of tools from another pick-up truck's bed.

The images below were captured by surveillance in the parking lot.  They show the station wagon.  The vehicle has a Virginia license plate, number KGM 2155. 

If you've got any information about the whereabouts of this vehicle or of Bobby Harris or Denise Harris (aka Denise Jones and Denise Antonowicz), please call Dalton Police Detective Matthew Locke at 706-278-9085, extension 320.

The Dalton Police also remind citizens to always secure your belongings in your car when you park, and remember to lock your car doors.

Click the thumbnail images below for a larger version.

Dalton Police Seek Debit Card Thief

The Dalton Police Department is looking for a woman who used a stolen debit card at multiple locations in August and September.

The card was reported stolen on September 5th after it had been used to make at least 20 fraudulent purchases in Whitfield and Murray Counties.  Among them was a purchase at the Wal-Mart on Shugart Road (9/2/08).  At that time, the suspect was photographed on store surveillance cameras.  Those images are included below.  The suspect is the woman in the pink shirt, and her vehicle is the Nissan Maxima in the foreground of the parking lot photo.

Anyone with any information on these crimes is encouraged to contact Detective Jason Bishop with the Dalton Police Department at 706-278-9085, extension 214.

Click on the thumbnails below for a larger version of the image.