Public Safety Archives - Reporter Newspapers

Transform 285/400 traffic changes through Dec. 8

by John Ruch | Dec 2, 2019 | Brookhaven Reporter, Buckhead Reporter, Dunwoody Reporter, Public Safety, Sandy Springs Reporter | 0

The Georgia Department of Transportation has announced the latest round of lane and ramp closures and other traffic changes for Transform 285/400, its massive project to reconstruct the I-285/Ga. 400 interchange. Schedules may change based on the work and the weather. Ashford-Dunwoody Road ramp closures Dec. 5, 11 p.m. to 5 a.m., ramp to I-285 westbound closed. Ga. 400 ramp closures Dec. 3-7, 11 p.m. to 5 a.m., southbound ramp to I-285 westbound closed. I-285 lane closures Dec. 3, 11 p.m. to 5 a.m., westbound between Chamblee-Dunwoody Road and Ashford-Dunwoody Road, two right lanes. Other traffic changes On Dec....

After PDK plane crash, residents question safety and who pays for damage

by John Ruch | Nov 29, 2019 | Brookhaven Reporter, Buckhead Reporter, Dunwoody Reporter, Public Safety, Sandy Springs Reporter, Slideshow, Top Stories | 0

An explosion jolted John Patterson awake in his DeKalb County townhome on Oct. 30. As he and his dog Max fled the damaged building, he assumed a gas line had burst because so little was left of the real cause: a private airplane that crashed into his home shortly after takeoff from DeKalb-Peachtree Airport. “I said, ‘Where’s the plane?’” Patterson recalled asking firefighters and other first responders. “They said, ‘We’re looking.’” The violent crash at 2421 Peachwood Circle near I-85 killed the pilot and a passenger. Debris smashed a huge hole in the roof of Patterson’s spare bedroom and...

Buckhead crime reports, Nov. 1-21

by Reporter Newspapers | Nov 27, 2019 | Buckhead Reporter, Public Safety | 0

The following information, involving events that took place in Buckhead Nov. 1 through Nov. 21 was provided, by the Zone 2 precinct of the Atlanta Police Department from its open data records. Homicide 2300 block of Beecher Road — Nov. 10 Aggravated Assault 3500 block of Peachtree Road — Nov. 2 3200 block of Lenox Road — Nov. 2 3300 block of Peachtree Road — Nov. 3 3300 block of Peachtree Road — Nov.3 200 block of Armour Drive — Nov. 4 3300 block of Peachtree Road — Nov. 4 100 block Terminus Place — Nov. 12 2400 block...

New police commander of Buckhead’s Zone 2 to meet community Dec. 5

by John Ruch | Nov 26, 2019 | Buckhead Reporter, Public Safety | 0

The new commander of Buckhead’s Zone 2 police precinct will get a community introduction at a Dec. 5 meeting. Maj. Andrew Senzer took command of the Atlanta Police Department precinct earlier this month following the retirement of former commander Maj. Barry Shaw. Senzer most recently led Zone 3 in Southeast Atlanta. Hosted by the area’s City Council members, the meet-and-greet will include the precinct’s command staff as well. The meeting will be held at 6 p.m. at Heritage Hall in Peachtree Road United Methodist Church, 3180 Peachtree...

Riverwood student allegedly brought drugs and loaded gun on campus

by Hannah Greco | Nov 26, 2019 | Education, Public Safety, Sandy Springs Reporter | 0

A Riverwood International Charter School student allegedly carried drugs and a loaded gun on the school’s campus, 5900 Raider Drive, on Nov. 21. “In searching a student’s backpack for drugs, a loaded firearm and edibles were found,” Riverwood Principal Kindra Smith said in a Nov. 21 email to parents. “The weapon was quickly secured and no one was threatened.” Smith said the incident was reported by a student and the Fulton County Schools Police Department was alerted immediately. “There was a student report of drugs on campus,” Smith said in the email. “We alerted our school police officer immediately.”...

GDOT suspends construction closures for Thanksgiving holiday

by John Ruch | Nov 25, 2019 | Brookhaven Reporter, Buckhead Reporter, Dunwoody Reporter, Public Safety, Sandy Springs Reporter | 0

The Georgia Department of Transportation will suspend construction-related lane closures on interstate highways and state routes for the Thanksgiving holiday to reduce the traffic crunch. The suspension of closures will start Wednesday, Nov. 27, at 6 a.m., and continue until Monday, Dec. 2 at 5 a.m. GDOT warns that local traffic will be among the region’s worst. “The heaviest traffic is expected to be in Buckhead and the northern Perimeter Wednesday through Friday,” the agency said in a press release. GDOT has day-by-day advice on the times to avoid travel in Buckhead, the north Perimeter area and other metro...

Rap stars report more than $366K in jewelry stolen in Buckhead house burglary

by John Ruch | Nov 23, 2019 | Buckhead Reporter, Public Safety | 0

Rap stars Iggy Azalea and Playboi Carti say a burglar stole more than $366,000 in jewelry from their Buckhead rental house Nov. 14 while Azalea was home alone, according to a police report. The suspect in the burglary in the 2900 block of Howell Mill Road was masked and may have been carrying a gun, Carti told police based on a surveillance video officers had yet to view at the time of the Nov. 17 incident report. The Atlanta Police Department could not immediately say whether similar burglaries have been reported in the area. Azalea told police that she...

Transform 285/400 traffic changes Nov. 22-25

by John Ruch | Nov 22, 2019 | Brookhaven Reporter, Buckhead Reporter, Dunwoody Reporter, Public Safety, Sandy Springs Reporter | 0

The Georgia Department of Transportation has announced the latest round of lane and ramp closures and other traffic changes for Transform 285/400, its massive project to reconstruct the I-285/Ga. 400 interchange. Schedules may change based on the work and the weather. Ashford-Dunwoody Road ramp closures Nov. 24, 9 p.m. to 5 a.m., ramp to I-285 westbound closed. Ga. 400 ramp closures Nov. 22 and 25, 9 p.m. to 5 a.m., northbound ramp to I-285 eastbound closed. Nov. 23, 9 p.m. to 5 a.m., northbound ramp to I-285 westbound closed. Ga. 400 lane closures Nov. 22, 9 p.m. to 5...

Additional protections for cyclists, pedestrians approved by Dunwoody council

by Dyana Bagby | Nov 20, 2019 | Dunwoody Reporter, Public Safety, Top Stories | 0

A new ordinance that adds protections for cyclists and pedestrians beyond what state law requires is now official in Dunwoody. The City Council approved the “vulnerable road user” ordinance at its Nov. 18 meeting and is believed to be the first city in Georgia to have such a law. “I’m proud that the City Council demonstrated leadership and we’re blazing a new trail in the state of Georgia,” said Councilmember Tom Lambert, who led the effort to pass the ordinance. The ordinance was first introduced in September. “I think this is big public safety issue,” he said. “We want...

DeKalb-Peachtree Airport launches flight-tracker noise complaint system

by John Ruch | Nov 19, 2019 | Brookhaven Reporter, Buckhead Reporter, Dunwoody Reporter, Public Safety, Sandy Springs Reporter | 0

DeKalb-Peachtree Airport has launched a web-based noise complaint system that allows users to identify disruptive aircraft on live flight-tracking radar. The “Symphony PublicVue” system, available on the DeKalb County website, was presented at a Nov. 18 meeting of the PDK Airport Advisory Board by Korey Barnes, the facility’s new environmental and noise analyst. The system shows aircraft flying around PDK in a live radar feed that is on a 10-minute “security delay.” Some information about each flight, such as its number and destination, may be available. The system also allows users to file noise complaints via a form, if...

After plane hits homes, residents and officials debate PDK Airport accident statistics

by John Ruch | Nov 19, 2019 | Brookhaven Reporter, Buckhead Reporter, Dunwoody Reporter, Public Safety, Sandy Springs Reporter, Slideshow, Top Stories | 0

Following a fatal crash in October where a private plane smashed into DeKalb County townhomes, residents and officials dueled with accident statistics at a Nov. 18 meeting of the DeKalb-Peachtree Airport Advisory Board, debating just how safe it is to live near a facility that sees about 150,000 takeoffs and landings a year. The stats on both sides were flawed, limited and open to wide interpretation. The big picture is that the chance of being hit by a plane from PDK is extremely low, but also not zero. And the discussion is just the latest chapter in a decades-long...

DeKalb-Peachtree Airport’s history of crashes

by John Ruch | Nov 19, 2019 | Brookhaven Reporter, Buckhead Reporter, Dunwoody Reporter, Public Safety, Sandy Springs Reporter, Slideshow, Top Stories | 0

The wreck of a private plane into DeKalb County townhomes in October has brought renewed attention to the possibility of accidents around DeKalb-Peachtree Airport. The risks to any one person or property are extremely low, but the list of accidents is long since the airport, located in Chamblee on the Brookhaven border, switched from military to civilian public use in the late 1950s. Today’s tensions between the busy airport and its surrounding neighborhoods began in the 1970s, and involved safety concerns from the start. A 1976 Atlanta Journal-Constitution article said, “When most people think of DeKalb-Peachtree, they probably think...