Check out the new Fayette Sheriff website!

I ran into Sheriff Hannah tonight at the Fayette County Chamber of Commerce Expo. And no, I didn't run into him with my car or knock him down! I was at the Expo table for the Clothes Less Traveled Thrift Shop as he was making the rounds. We chatted for a few minutes about a number of Fayette issues, one of them being the new website the Sheriff's office has been working on.

When I got home, unpacked, and settled in, I popped over to see what it looked like. I spent more time than I intended wandering around the new site. I was impressed. It's not 100% complete yet, but the information links kept me clicking!

I checked my neighborhood to see if there were any sex offenders nearby. Nope.

Then I popped over to the link titled "Crime Mapping". I was able to put in my address and find out where crimes had occurred around my home. I got nosy and expanded the viewing area to see the kind of things going on outside my immediate area. I'll be clicking that link again!

I looked under the "Records Section" to see crime statistics and then clicked on a few others under the heading just to see what kind of information was offered. Good to know it's there in case I need it some day.

Of course I looked at Fayette County's Most Wanted Fugitives. Didn't recognize anyone...

There are some areas that are currently being worked on (Kids Page, Fiscal Information and others), but they're coming.

Oh, and I also signed up under the "Community Notifications" tab to get alerts from the Sheriff's office. I'm already getting them for Peachtree City and Tyrone so was happy to discover I could add the areas outside the cities. It's great info and I highly encourage everyone in Fayette County to sign up. They can text alerts and / or email them to you.

It looks like this is going to be the kind of site you'll want to stop by and "visit" more than once. They have links to quite a few state and local agencies, contact info in the event you want to call the Sheriff's Dept., employment opportunities, crime prevention tips... the list is long.

Be sure to click on "Office of the Sheriff" and then click "History of the Office of Sheriff". It's interesting reading.

I think the website is going to be a valuable resource for Fayette residents. Go take a peek.

www.FayetteSheriff.org

- jmd
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Robbery at McDonalds in Peachtree City

I'm not sure why this particular crime (see below for news release) struck such a sour note for me, but it did. It's not just the fact that the robbers stole the three Ronald McDonald charity boxes, which is low. I think it's the idea that here in Fayette County this kind of crime is happening at all.

I've lived in Fayette County for well over 20 years. We've grown quite a bit, so an increase in crime is probably to be expected. However, I am seeing more and more of the "typical" crimes that occur in large cities and larger communities happening in our backyard. Crime has changed and crime has increased. I don't like it, and I'm sure you don't either.

Stores robbed at gunpoint, car jackings, and other crimes are on the rise. Sure, some say they're perpetrated by people from outside the county in most cases. They're still happening, and they're happening in the places we frequent. We now have more things in this county that act as magnets: more restaurants, more stores, more of everything that attracts a criminal element.

I hate to write about, or even think about, things like crime, murder and mayhem. The Fayette Front Page focuses on the good news and on the vast majority of great citizens in our wonderful community. But we also promise we'll give you the straight facts and let you know when bad things occur, without any hype or sensationalization, too. Our readers are intelligent and don't need us to interpret for them!

What's the answer to growing crime in our county? Bigger and better minds than mine have been struggling with this one for years. I think it's important for a community to be aware of the facts, then to band together to do everything possible to support law enforcement and look for other ways to help minimize occurrences like the one in the news release below.

Yes, we're growing and changing, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't focus on the best and fight the worst! - JMD, Editor Fayette Front Page / Georgia Front Page

Here's the story that sparked my diatribe :

On October 21, 2008 at approximately 5:30 a.m., officers were dispatched to
the McDonalds Restaurant located at 709 Crossings East in the Peachtree Crossing
Shopping Center. According to the police report, upon arriving for work
the restaurant’s employees discovered that a large rock had been thrown through
a window on the east side of the building. When Peachtree City Police
Officer’s arrived on scene it was determined that the restaurant had been
burglarized and that three Ronald McDonald charity boxes had been taken during
the burglary. Detectives from the Police Department’s Criminal
Investigation Division responded to the location to process the scene for
evidence. The case is still under investigation at this time.

If anyone has information that would assist the Police
Department in this or other incidents, please contact the Peachtree City Police
Department’s Criminal Investigations Division at 770-631-2510 or the Crime and
Narcotics Information Hotline, (770) 487-6010. You may remain
anonymous.