Crime & Safety

Resident Expresses Concern About West Village Crime at Commissioner's Town Hall

Commissioner Bob Ott, police say location is to blame.

Is crime on the rise in West Village? One resident thinks so. She brought up her concerns Tuesday night at Cobb County Commissioner Bob Ott’s town hall meeting.

The woman said what began as people stealing copper wiring from the homes and apartments under construction has grown more serious.

“It’s progressing from that to breaking in, so it’s becoming a little more known to folks involved in that. There’s a lot of easy access there,” she said.

Find out what's happening in Smyrna-Viningswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Cobb County Police Department crime data shows that there have been nine incidents at the mixed use development in the past 30 days: three cases of burglary, forced entry; one case of burglary, no forced entry; one stolen vehicle; two entering autos and two cases of theft by taking. 

Ott said that copper theft is a problem throughout the county as the price of the metal is high. He added that what makes West Village an attractive residence for commuters is also what makes it attractive to criminals.

Find out what's happening in Smyrna-Viningswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

“We also do have an issue with crime coming across the (county) border and also your proximity to the Interstate,” he said. “It’s convenient for criminals and everything to get in and out and right back on the Interstate.”

Cobb County’s Public Information Officer Mike Bowman told Patch that the large volume of people moving through Precinct 3 on a daily basis make it one of the busiest for the department.  

“On the average there are 2 million people driving through Cobb County a day and we have the hub of the Interstate system there,” he said. “So with the wrecks and the call volume and the apartment complexes there are a lot more people in that area.”

Ott encouraged Cobb County residents who are concerned about crime to sign up for the department’s Police Email Notification System (PENS). Those signed up for the program will receive email notification of crime trends plus tips on safety and how best to avoid becoming a victim. 

Nixle Alerts are another way to stay connected. Receive text message alerts from the police in your ZIP code when you sign up.  


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

To request removal of your name from an arrest report, submit these required items to arrestreports@patch.com.

More from Smyrna-Vinings