Door to Door security scam  in Clarkston

From an email I received:

See first link below for a near exact description of the experience I had at
my front door and on my porch around 9p this evening, van included.  The
“team” was all women, and in this case they did in fact have ID with, at
least at face value, a legit SecureWatch phone number (I called it).

I shouldn’t have entertained their pitch as long as I did, but will admit I
was, among other things, stunned and intrigued in a train-wreck kinda way by
how entirely bizarre the whole thing was.  I didn’t call the cops but wish I
had, especially after everything I found online (see second link below).
Anyway, heads-up, and should you see them or they come to your door a call
to the cops may be in order!

http://www.villageofpinehurst.org/CommunityResources/SheriffsOfficeWarnsofPo
ssibleScam/tabid/769/Default.aspx

<http://www.google.com/search?source=ig&hl=en&rlz=1G1GGLQ_ENUS307&q=865-622-9973&oq=865-622-9973&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&gs_sm=e&gs_upl=2138l11111l0l12346l12l12l0l8l8l0l217l699l0.3.1l4l0>

SHERIFF’S OFFICE WARNS OF POSSIBLE SCAM

The Sheriff’s Office is investigating a possible scam in the Moore County

area involving several subjects driving a blue 2005 Chrysler van.

According to a press release from the Sheriff’s Office, the people in the

van are going door-to-door identifying themselves as employees of

Securewatch, a subcontractor of ADT.  They are asking to put an ADT sign in

homeowners’ yards, and claiming that they will install an alarm system. They

are using a written agreement to apparently gain personal information from

homeowners.  It appears to be a scam because the subjects don’t have

identification showing that they are employed by Securewatch.  When

Securewatch is researched by computer, several sites come up in reference to

scam issues.

Anyone having contact with subjects identifying themselves as employees of

Securewatch is asked to call the Sheriff’s Office at (910) 947-2931.

Clarkston Ga Mayoral state of the city  speech

Clarkston Ga residents are invited to an event next week that features the mayor giving a state of the city address.

Monday Oct 4th, at the Clarkston Community Center

Mayor Howard Tygrett will give his take on the year past and what’s next for the small DeKalb County city during the event. The speech begins at 7 p.m. Monday at the Clarkston Community Center’s Angora Hall on College Avenue.

City of Clarkston State of the City address

All city of Clarkston Ga residents are urged to attend!

Bring your friends and tell a neighbor!

Directions to the Clarkston Community Center:

• Take I-20 East to Decatur (Augusta) from downtown Atlanta
• Take I-285 exit (67, Macon/Greenville) just past Columbia Drive exit, stay to the left towards Greenville
• Take exit 40 (Church Street/Clarkston)
• Turn right off of the exit towards Clarkston
• Drive straight about ½ mile to first light. (intersection with overpass – N. Indian Creek Dr.)
• Turn right and Clarkston Library is on the left (approx. 2 blocks)
• The Clarkston Community Center (3701 College Avenue) is behind the Library.

Bountiful crop lands Clarkston Ga farmer in legal trouble

Clarkston vegetables Get man in trouble with Dekalb Co

CLARKSTON, GA (CNN) - A Georgia man is headed to court to pay over $5000 in fines over how many vegetables he can grow on his land – even though he gives them away. Code enforcement says until recently, the farmer had too many vegetable plants for his property in Clarkston, just outside Atlanta.

Steve Miller’s profession is landscaping, but his passion is growing organic vegetables. That passion landed the Clarkston man in court. Before he rezoned the land two months ago, DeKalb County Code Enforcement cited him for illegal growing crops and using unpermitted workers.

“I never realized this could get me in trouble,” Miller said. “In fact, it was a shock when I was told I couldn’t have this many vegetables.”

Miller says he sells some of the food at area farmers markets and gives some away to friends. When he applied for rezoning, his attorney says the county put the charges on hold but are now seeking $5,000 in fines.

“How are they protecting the public, health and welfare of the citizens of DeKalb County by prosecuting this man on previous offenses that are now no longer offenses,” said attorney Doug Dillard.

Alice Rolls, executive director of Georgia Organics, predicts more cases like this as vegetable gardens make a comeback.

“As agriculture comes back into urban areas we are dealing with old laws on the books,” she said.

Miller says he’ll likely spend more than $27,000 on the zoning fight, admitting that’s a lot of money to grow greens.

More From WSB

DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — DeKalb County is suing a local farmer for growing too many vegetables, but he said he will fight the charges in the ongoing battle neighbors call “Cabbagegate.”

DeKalb county suing Clarkston Ga man over growing too much food!

Fig trees, broccoli and cabbages are among the many greens that line the soil on Steve Miller’s more than two acres in Clarkston, who said he has spent fifteen years growing crops to give away and sell at local farmers markets.

“It’s a way of life, like it’s something in my blood,” said Miller.

Too Much Food is fined - while too many tires and junk cars get free pass!

In January, Dekalb County code enforcement officers began ticketing him for growing too many crops for the zoning and having unpermitted employees on site. Miller stopped growing vegetables this summer and the charges were put on hold as he got the property rezoned.

Two weeks after approval, however, his attorney said the county began prosecuting the old charges, saying he was technically in violation before the rezoning.

“It should go away. I think it borders on harassment,” said Miller’s attorney Doug Dillard.|

Miller faces nearly $5,000 in fines, but he said he plans to fight those citations in recorders court later this month.A county spokesperson said officials can’t discuss the matter while it is in court, but neighbors were quick to come to his defense.

“When he moved here and I found out what he was doing I said, ‘Steve, you’re the best thing that ever happened to Cimarron Drive. And I still say that,” said neighbor Britt Fayssoux.

From AOL News by Dave Thier

“There’s a fine line between urban agriculture and backyard gardening,” said Michael Wall, communications director for Georgia Organics. “Since this is an emerging issue, there are going to be some gray areas. “Most of the time,” he continued, “it’s the laws that need updating.”

Time for a change in DeKalb Co zoning laws!

Does Dekalb Co have nothing better to site near Clarkston?

In Georgia, as across the country, many municipalities are making compromises to encourage new, productive land uses. Earlier this year, New York’s underground apiarists scored a victory when the city agreed to make beekeeping legal, and allowances for backyard chickens have been enacted in many cities, such as Seattle and New Haven, Conn.

Sometimes, however, it takes a case like Miller’s to motivate change. He’s glad that the county was able to help him rezone his land, but still stung by giant fines he incurred.

The county refused to comment as the case is still pending, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

Take ACTION today!

Take action!

Write or call Dekalb county immediately and stop this nonsense!

Directors office 404-371-2155

Quality investigations 404-371-2167

Land Development 404-371-2365

planninganddevelopment@co.dekalb.ga.us

DeKalb Co planning and Zoning

330 West Ponce de Leon Avenue
Decatur, Georgia 30030

Bless your animal family

Bless your pets and animals

Blessing of the animals

Saturday, Oct 2 10:00am at Clarkston United Methodist Church, Clarkston, GA

Leaves – a new way to keep the streets clean

Its the new street vac for the fall season leaves.

From old to new, we are ready for the fall season. Donated by Dekalb County. For the storm water utility program which the City now runs.

New Leaf Vacumn

Keeping the streets and water clean

Trapeze Networks helps Clarkston Police fight crime!

Clarkston PD Catches More Criminals With Trapeze Networks and Digital Ally Wireless Application

Affordable Wireless Video System Improves Police Department Record through Crime Rate Decrease and Better Officer Performance

Trapeze Networks, a Belden Brand (NYSE: BDC) and leader in enterprise wireless LAN equipment and management software, today announced that the Clarkston, GA, Police Department (CPD) has deployed a new wireless infrastructure and in-car digital video system from Trapeze Networks and Digital Ally, Inc. (Nasdaq: DGLY), Overland Park, KS. The system’s videos capture evidence, train officers and provides for superb resident safety.

Clarkston Police Department gets sophisticated video training

“Trapeze Networks is pleased that its solutions give the ability for the CPD to instantly transmit in-car surveillance videos which, in turn, contribute significantly to improving the city’s violent crime rate and citizen satisfaction with the police force,” said Trapeze President Dhrupad Trivedi.

“The robust feature set in the Trapeze Networks solutions guarantees the CPD’s wireless network has the highest levels of dependability and security needed to safely transfer the important video surveillance files.”

The CPD is utilizing Digital Ally’s DMV-500Plus In-car Video Systems which are fully integrated into replacement rear-view mirrors in its entire fleet of patrol cars to maximize ease-of-operation and use of space. The Trapeze Networks wireless network at CPD’s station provides a simplified way to quickly transfer very-large video files from the patrol cars to the station’s server.

This ensures the video evidence remains untouched and, therefore, untainted. Instead of manually downloading the video files, the CPD now records each police stop and automatically sends the video file wirelessly, saving staff time and ensuring compliance with court evidence requirements. The videos are also used as police officer training tools.

“The citizen complaint rate has dropped significantly since we installed the wireless network and cameras,” said Criss Hudson, Captain, Clarkston Police Department. “The officers love the new wireless video system that Trapeze and Digital Ally provide because it helps them improve their performance by studying the videos of their stops. Improving the validity of the evidence videos has strengthened the CPD cases, resulting in additional criminal prosecutions.”

Ken McCoy, Digital Ally’s Vice President of Sales and Marketing, said,

“With the easy-to-deploy Digital Ally in-car video systems running over the scaleable wireless network, the CPD will be able to quickly and easily equip new patrol cars as they are added to its fleet. Our application works with many wireless infrastructure solutions but we prefer Trapeze in this case because of its reliability.”

Clarkston Police focuses on Citizen safety

The Clarkston Ga Police department is continuing it’s goal to make the City of Clarkston safe for all of it’s residents.

News story from PR Newswire — August 12, 2010 at  IndianWeb:

Graduates at Clarkston Campus Perimeter College

GPC Economic Impact on Region Increases 7.5 Percent

Nearly 5000 jobs for half a billion dollars in total annual economic impact!

Georgia Perimeter College was recognized in a recent study for its tremendous economic footprint: The college provides 4,954 jobs that resulted in more than half a billion dollars in total annual economic impact. That’s a 7.5 percent increase over the previous fiscal year.

GPC had an 8.1 percent growth in enrollment for the spring semester, with a record 25,282 students taking classes.

College creates jobs and revenue

According to the economic impact study released today by the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia, the 35-institution system provides more than 112,000 jobs and $12.7 billion in economic impact. The University System generated nearly 3 percent of the state’s total jobs during that time.

The report indicates that GPC’s economic impact has grown by more than $40 million from fiscal year 2008 to fiscal year 2009.

“We are proud of our contributions to the local and state economies, especially during these tough economic times,” said GPC President Dr. Anthony S. Tricoli. “Our ability to become a vital factor in the state’s economy can be directly attributed to GPC’s commitment to offering an outstanding education that is relevant, affordable and accessible. With a GPC education, students can start here and go anywhere.”

Student success helps society at large, according to a 2004 report by the Institute for Higher Education Policy. That report states that investment in college education produces increased tax revenues, decreased reliance on public assistance programs, lower unemployment rates, and increased voting, volunteering, and other civic activities. Other studies show that college graduates are healthier, contribute more to their communities, and raise children who are better prepared academically.

Students enjoy learning at Ga perimeter college - Clarkston Campus

Georgia Perimeter College, the third largest institution of the University System of Georgia, serves more than 25,000 students through four campuses and several sites in metro Atlanta. For additional information, visit www.gpc.edu.

Clarkston Campus

555 N. Indian Creek Drive
Clarkston, GA 30021-2361
678-891-3200

Press release courtesy of Beverly James

07/12/2010
Contact: Beverly James
Phone: 678-891-2686
Fax: 678-891-2966Author: Beverly James

Clarkston Ga – Small town with a big heart

Help us help each other
Clarkston Ga is home to thousands of refugees along with a diverse group of Atlanta residents. This small town in metro Atlanta has residents from over 80 countries speaking over 100 languages. The challenges are daunting but the rewards are unparalleled. Help us help each other here in Clarkston Ga.

Refugee assistance

Clarkston Ga needs Federal assistance to assist and integrate the large percentage of refugees that reside here. Our city government, infrastructure and public works needs help to provide the services needed in our city.

Beware of Roofer and rip offs!

Roofing scams - be aware of the signs

This is a thread about a roofing company and their scam I thought folks should be aware of..

Some roofers are not what they say they are – legitimate businesses, remember that Clarkston has at least a half dozen contractors and roofers that live here in out city – why not try one of them?

Read here: Roofers that rip off

This thread talks about a recent rip off and scam by a company that goes thru Atlanta.

Clarkston GA: Roofing scams are prevalent in Atlanta after a storm, take the right steps to protect your home and budget!

Clarkston's Dog park in the snow

Clarkston Ga has a great dog park!

My dogs LOVE the park, I like it cause its safe, shady and I get to meet lots of other dog lovers. Plenty of great company and dogs of all types and sizes.

Bring your pooch to have fun and make dog friends to:

Milam Park: 3867 Norman Road

Clarkston, GA, 30021

Dog parks in Metro Atlanta – Add Clarkston to the list

Here are a few regulars….

Clarkston Ga dog park

Dogs make friends at Clarkston's Dog park

Dogs love to play in the shady, tree filled dog park in Clarkston's Milam park