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October 2008  In 2007, Cobb police officers were dispatched to almost 48,000 burglar alarm activations and about 99 percent of those were false. The new alarm ordinance aims to help reduce this number so officers can better serve and protect residents. False burglar alarms waste police time and taxpayers money By Tiffany A. Lewis But the ongoing problem of false burglar alarms is hampering police officers by wasting time and money. This led to the development of Cobb County’s new alarm ordinance, which goes into effect Jan. 1. There will be tiered fines for unregistered burglar alarms and excessive false alarms. Last year, the most common call for service was to alarms and there were almost double as many calls as for the number two call for service, traffic accidents. Of the about 43,000 alarm calls, almost 99 percent were false. An officer spends an average of 20 minutes on a burglar alarm call, so false alarms wasted approximately 15,840 man hours in 2007. That’s an estimated $368,000 of taxpayer money that could have been used to better serve and protect residents. “The goal of the ordinance is to reduce wasted man hours spent responding to false alarms,” Lloyd said. “We hope to cut the number of false alarms by 50 percent over the next five years.” All residents in unincorporated Cobb who have burglar alarms in their homes or businesses are required to register the system with the county. Registering alarms has many benefits to home and business owners. It provides police with contact information in case of a suspected break-in. Police usually contact owners to see how they want the property secured. Registration begins Oct. 1 and all alarms must be registered by Dec. 31. Motor vehicle or boat alarms, fire alarms and alarms designed to elicit a medical response do not have to be registered. “Registering burglar alarms with Cobb County is free, fairly simple and does not take a lot of time,” Sgt. Brody Staud of the False Alarm Reduction Unit, said. “We made the process as easy as possible and residents can register online or by mail. We are encouraging all residents to register their burglar alarms now.” To view the entire false alarm ordinance, visit www.cobbcounty.org/downloads/alarm-ordinance.pdf. For more information, call the False Alarm Reduction Unit at 770-528-3819. To register online, visit cobbpolice.com.  CobbLine staff In October, Cobb County Emergency Management Agency encourages all residents to prepare a Ready Kit. A Ready Kit should sustain the family for at least three days in case of a natural or man-made disaster. The kit should contain copies of all vital documents, equipment such as a flashlight and extra batteries and a first aid kit. Ready Kits should also contain enough water and non-perishable food to sustain each family member for three days, but you will plan for these items in November. Below is a checklist of items to be included in a Ready Kit and some additional items that might be considered. Recommended items to include in a basic Ready Kit:
Additional items to consider adding to a Ready Kit:
First Aid Kit:
For more information, visit ema.cobbcountyga.gov or call 770-499-4567. Volunteers needed during emergencies  During Hurricane Katrina, many evacuees took shelter in Cobb County and volunteers played many crucial roles. Above, volunteers help stuff boxes with food and other necessities. Cobbline Staff The most effective way to become a volunteer is by registering with a statewide program such as the Medical Reserve Corps or the Georgia Nurse Alert system through SERVGA by visiting www.servga.gov. The online registration form allows volunteers to include licenses and certifications, language skills and types of jobs or tasks they can contribute to disaster recovery efforts. SERVGA integrates local, regional and statewide volunteer programs to assist emergency response and public safety organizations during a disaster. Cobb County Medical Reserve Corps is managed through Cobb EMA and can be reached at 770-499-4567. Help the environment by planting trees  By Patricia Simmons Stuckey Volunteers are urged to wear sturdy closed-toed shoes and clothes that can get dirty. Pre-registration is required to ensure adequate food, supplies and planting materials. To pre-register, send an email to KeepCobbBeautiful@cobbcounty.org. For more information, call 770-528-1135.  Cobbline Staff
This free event for kids aged 1 to 12 will feature costume contests, crafts, coloring contests, trick-or-treating, carnival games and hayrides. Prizes will be awarded for all contests. Children should bring a bag to store their candy. For information, call 770-528-8875. Spread holiday cheer as ‘Senior Santa’  Cobbline Staff Play golf and benefit Cobb’s children  Cobbline Staff The entry fee is $150 per player or $600 per team of four. Fees include raffle and door prizes, two mulligans, green fee, cart, beverages, lunch and dinner. For more information, contact Lisa Crossman at 770-514-2323 or lcrossma@dhr.state.ga.us. Donations needed to help feed Cobb’s needy families on Thanksgiving Cobbline Staff The Center for Family Resources, in partnership with the Cobb County Department of Family and Children Services, has provided Thanksgiving baskets to families in need in Cobb County for more than 20 years. Last year, CFR provided Thanksgiving baskets to 1,000 families. The center saw a significant increase in need during the first half of 2008 and has set a goal to provide baskets to 1,450 families. You can sponsor the Thanks for Giving 2008 program or host a food drive at your company, school, congregation or organization. If you are interested in sponsoring a food drive, here’s a list of items needed to fill baskets for families: $15 gift certificate from a local grocer for a turkey, dressing mix, cranberry sauce, canned or instant potatoes (sweet or white), canned green vegetables, canned yellow vegetables, non-refrigerated pie shell and pumpkin pie mix, dried or canned milk and roasting pans. In addition to these items, the center also welcomes the following: dried beans, peanut butter, canned meat, tuna, or ham, rice, pasta, cereal, soup, bread, rolls and canned fruit. The center cannot accept items that require refrigeration (i.e. turkeys, milk, etc.) For more information on sponsorships, volunteering or food drives, contact Jennifer Cain at 770-428-2601 or at JenniferCain@TheCFR.org. Improper parking a common problem CobbLine Staff Parking Vehicles may not be parked in the grass or unimproved surface between the roadway and the home’s front setback. In the R-30, R-20, R-15, R-12, RD, RA-4 and RA-6 districts, only one vehicle, one boat and one recreational vehicle (or any combination of such totaling three) may be parked in the rear and side yard areas and on a hardened surface. In the R-40, R-80 and RR districts, any combination of boats and recreational vehicles exceeding three must be screened from public roadways by a fence or buffer approved by the Cobb landscape architect. No materials, equipment or business vehicles may be stored or parked on the premises, except for one business vehicle, used exclusively by the resident. A business vehicle with a manufacturer’s gross weight greater than 12,500 pounds is not allowed to be parked on residential property. More detailed information is available in the county code, on the county clerk’s Web page at cobbcounty.org or by calling Code Enforcement at 770-528-2180. Goreham and Lee host town halls District One Commissioner Helen Goreham will hold a town hall meeting 7 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 16, at West Cobb Senior Center, 4915 Dallas Highway, Powder Springs. Commissioner Goreham will also host a town hall 7 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 20, at North Cobb Senior Center, 4100 Highway 293, Acworth. All district one residents are encouraged to attend both meetings. For more information, call 770-528-3313. District Three Commissioner Tim Lee will hold a town hall meeting 7 p.m., Monday, Oct. 20, at Mountain View Community Center, 3400 Sandy Plains Road, Marietta. All district three residents are encouraged to attend. For more information, call 770-528-3318. Residents to vote on second park bond CobbLine Staff Tuesday, Nov. 4, Cobb voters will go to the polls and decide whether to issue a second $40 million bond to purchase much-needed park land. The county would be able to acquire the land without increasing taxes. In 2006, more than 70 percent of voters approved the first park bond and five of the six top sites recommended by the Citizens Advisory Committee have been purchased. Since more than 90 percent of total acreage in Cobb is already developed, the need to preserve greenspace is still great. For more information on the success of the first park bond, visit cobbcounty.org and follow the links to Parks and Recreation. Advance voting for the General Election is Oct. 27-31. For more information, visit cobbelections.org or call 770-528-2581. Discount prescription cards available CobbLine staff There is no cost to county taxpayers to make these money saving cards available to residents. Cards are available at county libraries, government service centers, the Tax Commissioner’s Office, Senior Services and Board of Commissioners administrative offices. County residents can call toll free 877-321-2652 or visit www.caremark.com/naco for assistance with the program. Parks and Recreation online survey CobbLine staff 
Annual report available online
CobbLine Staff The Cobb County 2007 Annual Report is available online. This publication describes the many projects done and progress made by the county last year, including the ongoing Transportation Improvement Program funded by the Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax. Click on either the link above or the image on the right to view the Cobb County Annual Report. << back to top |
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