Crime & Safety

Sandy Springs' Citizens on Patrol: Why They Do It

Citizens on Patrol is a component of the community policing initiated by former Police Chief and now Public Safety Director Terry Sult. The first Citizens on Patrol class graduated in 2011.

An Amberidge neighbor waved from her driveway when she saw the Citzens on Patrol car pass by, last week. You may have occasionally noticed a Citizens on Patrol vehicle driving through your neighborhood too. They look similar to the Sandy Springs Police cars.

“It’s kind of nice to drive through and see if anything looks out of the ordinary,” said Mark Thomas, a Citizens on Patrol volunteer. “After a while you get a feel for what looks normal and what doesn’t. Like if you see a cargo van backed into a driveway. 

With the August graduating class, Citizens on Patrol will have a total of 42 volunteer members. Thomas coordinates the program with Officer Jeff Holmes, who is in charge of the SSPD Volunteer Unit. 

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Citizens on Patrol is a component of the community policing initiated by former Police Chief and now Public Safety Director Terry Sult. The first Citizens on Patrol class graduated in 2011.

“We have to be very careful about what we actively do because we are not the police,” said Rick Stafford, who trains members. “We are looking at something and reporting it and being what we call situationally aware. If you are aware of what’s going on around you, you would be amazed at what you see.”

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Thomas recalled a suspicious man walking through the Amberidge neighborhood when there was a spike in break-ins. The man had a clipboard and appeared to be a solicitor, Thomas said. 

“Something just didn’t look right. We didn’t see him going down any driveways and knocking on doors. So we circled around and looked at him again. We got a description and radioed it in and the officers descended on him. He didn’t have a license to solicit. The officers suggested that he might not want to do that in this area,” Thomas said.

Volunteers patrol at their convenience during day or night hours. They do residence and business checks and sometimes relieve police directing traffic following an accident or detained by down trees.

Joan Pressman is one of 12 women in Citizens on Patrol.  She goes on patrol about once per week. One of her riding partners is Mary Paulson, wife of City Councilman John Paulson. “I fell in love with the police when I took the [Citizens Police Academy] class,” she said. “All that they do for us; I thought what can I do. We are giving back to them to make their job easier.”


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