Maj. Matthew Harden, at a DeKalb County Police Tucker Precinct virtual meeting on March 12, said several arrests have been made in connection to smash-and-grab burglaries along Main Street.
While declining to comment specifically on the incidents, Harden said police “have cleared a lot of these cases.”
Harden said several of the incidents are thought to be tied to youth-initiation directives, meaning that the suspects had been tasked with stealing a certain item before being allowed admission to a specific group.
“One of the items in this incident was [cash register] tills,” he said. “Also there have been liquor store break-ins where the person had to get a certain bottle of liquor.”
Harden also fielded questions about a recent fight between Tucker High School students on Main Street that attracted a large crowd before it was dispersed. He said the altercation began at the school and continued down the street to outside a local business.
“We have a shared responsibility for this, with the school’s resource officers, the department and the parents,” he said. “These kids need to have a plan and a place to go after school and the parents need to be engaged in this process.”
Harden also said that Main Street is one of the most heavily patrolled areas in Tucker, and that people who see suspicious behavior should call 911, and not wait for others to do it.
“It’s okay to ask for extra patrols in the area in case something happens, but calls are better,” he said.
He also encouraged business owners and residents to make it harder for criminal activities in the area by installing surveillance cameras, turning on exterior lights and trimming the shrubbery around windows to ensure a clear view from the building and from the street.
“We all have to remember that this isn’t Mayberry,” Harden said.
Overall, he said, crime is down in most areas in Tucker and that the DeKalb Police Department in general clears more cases than the national average.
Harden also said that most social media posts in Tucker-area forums “are a wealth of bad information,” and encouraged people not to take anything. they read as absolute truth.
The topic of the March meeting, a day in the life of an officer with LaShea Metoyer, had to be postponed because of technical issues.
Monthly meetings are publicized on the City of Tucker’s Facebook page.
