Lt. J.W. Berg is Tucker’s liaison to the DeKalb County Police Department and can be contacted by email at jwberg@dekalbcountyga.gov or by phone at (678) 597-9040.
Like many of you, summertime is often a period when my family and I look forward to taking a vacation. This year, due to several national factors such as inflation and the high price of gasoline, our vacation plans have been scaled back. We hope to head to the beach for a few days, traveling there the old-fashioned way – in the minivan. Not very glamorous, but it works.
With many of you traveling in the same fashion, I’d like to refer to my December 2021 On the Beat article. In this article, I discussed at length one of the most common and disturbing crimes I have handled as an officer, what Georgia Code 16-8-18 defines as Entering Automobile. More commonly known as “vehicle break-ins,” these property crimes can and do affect their victims deeply. From the loss of a laptop computer that contained family pictures, to the theft of cash or other irreplaceable valuables, the loss of these items can be even more disruptive when traveling out of town in an unfamiliar location.
Oftentimes while on vacation, we tend to let our guard down, caught up in the joy and relaxing atmosphere that most vacation destinations provide. Unfortunately, there is a small criminal element that is also attracted to these locations. These criminals are not there on vacation but are “working” to support themselves by taking advantage of our bliss and relaxation.
Let me repeat one thing you can do to help prevent a vehicle break-in whether at home or while traveling. Do not leave anything of value inside your vehicle. This includes the keys to your car. I wish I did not have to remind everyone of this. However, as I mentioned above, vehicle break-ins are by far the most common crime that we respond to as local law enforcement officers. With literally millions of vehicles on the road, it is one of the most difficult crimes to predict where and when they might occur.
I would also like to remind everyone traveling on the roads this summer of one other important safety tip. Four years ago, our legislature passed a “hands-free” law, O.C.G.A. 40-6-241. This law - like many others that exist nationwide - makes it illegal for a driver to have a cell phone in their hand or to have a cell phone touching any part of their body while talking on the phone and driving. The law further states that drivers cannot watch or record videos while driving, including on social media. Even with the existence of hands-free technology such as a Bluetooth player, drivers in Georgia are not allowed to text or email while driving unless a voice-to-text app is utilized.
While it has been several years that we have had this law in Georgia, I still see a myriad of drivers texting, looking at videos, and even playing video games while driving. This can be extremely dangerous, particularly when traveling great distances to areas we normally do not travel. Indeed, the state of Georgia thought this “hands-free” law was so important that it specified that “points” would be assessed on a license if someone was cited with violating this law. This is in addition to the assessment of a large fine. As a former teenager that accumulated way too many “points” in my youth, I can attest that they easily add up to having to depend on others to drive you around. I am glad those days are over!
Hopefully, I have not scared you into forgoing your much-needed summer vacation. However, with a bit of caution, both for your own personal safety and for that of others, we can all have a great time wherever we end up. Perhaps we can all think even bigger next summer – Hawaii!
