Latest news with #DunwoodyPoliceDepartment
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Yahoo
Dunwoody prison officer accused of harassing, touching coworkers
A Dunwoody prison transport officer resigned Friday following an investigation into allegations she harassed her co-workers. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] Officer Susan Oh can be seen smiling with her colleagues in photos posted on the Dunwoody Police Department's Facebook page. But now, Oh is no longer employed by the city after she resigned following an investigation into allegations that she harassed her co-workers with unwanted touching and inappropriate remarks. Channel 2's Michael Seiden filed an open records request with the city. On April 16, a city employee filed a complaint about Oh in an email. 'Officer Oh has made numerous inappropriate verbal comments about fellow officers, particularly directed towards me, which have caused me considerable discomfort. When I have confronted her about these remarks, she has attempted to dismiss them as jokes, claiming that she is only 'playing,'' the email read. Oh is also accused of making sexual jokes and trying to watch a co-worker pump breast milk in a private room. TRENDING STORIES: Body of missing 17-year-old boater found in Allatoona Lake Teen in custody after mother's boyfriend shot to death, deputies say Property owner says city started demolishing the wrong home, 'put a hole on my property' The city launched an investigation in the claims. Last month, an investigator wrote in part: 'Based on the interviews conducted, it appears Susan Oh took part in some, if not, all the incidents that were uncovered through (the complaint) and more than one allegation was corroborated during the investigation.' Seiden tried reaching out to Oh to hear her side of the story, but so far, hasn't been able to connect with her. Seiden reached out to the city for a comment and a spokesperson sent the following statement: 'We take all personnel matters seriously. However, due to privacy considerations, we're unable to comment further. Note that our Prisoner Transport Officers are civilian employees. They are not sworn police officers.' [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
Yahoo
05-05-2025
- Yahoo
Suspect accused of hitting man with SUV at The Bird in Dunwoody turns himself in
A man accused of hitting another man with his car outside of The Bird restaurant and bar in Dunwoody turned himself in at the DeKalb County Jail. The Dunwoody Police Department said Monday morning that Sheldon Mayers turned himself in at the jail on Wednesday evening. He is accused of hitting Terry Crosby on April 25 after getting into an altercation with Mayers over his girlfriend. Channel 2 Action News previously reported that 'a man and his girlfriend were sitting at the bar when another man walked up to them. The second man touched the woman to get her attention, which led to a fight inside the restaurant,' according to investigators. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] TRENDING STORIES: Coweta County Schools targeted by 'apparent cyberattack,' incident under investigation Young sperm whale washes ashore Hilton Head Island, euthanized Cobb County customer disputes spa's late arrival policy not listed in membership contract After The Bird staff broke up the fight, management told them all to leave, according to police. In the parking lot, Mayers is accused of intentionally hitting Crosby with his car, putting him in the hospital. Police said Crosby remains in the hospital in stable condition. Having turned himself in, Mayers faces three felony charges of aggravated assault, aggravated battery and hit and run resulting in serious injury or death. Jail records show Mayers has been released on bond from the DeKalb County Jail. [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
Yahoo
04-04-2025
- Yahoo
Dunwoody Police elevate public safety with rooftop-launched drone technology
The Brief The Dunwoody Police Department uses a rooftop-launched drone integrated with 911 dispatch and Real Time Crime Center systems, allowing rapid deployment to scenes. The drone provides a bird's-eye view, enhancing response time and officer safety by assessing threats, identifying suspects, and determining resource needs. Dubbed the "Flock Drone," it has proven effective in apprehending suspects and is described as a "flying first responder," offering faster, safer, and smarter response methods. DUNWOODY, Ga. - The Dunwoody Police Department is taking public safety to new heights—literally—with the use of a rooftop-launched drone. The drone is integrated directly into its 911 dispatch and Real Time Crime Center systems. What they're saying Dubbed the "Flock Drone," the aircraft can be launched within seconds of a 911 call, automatically ascending and heading to the scene before officers even hit the road. "When Flock 911 grabs the call, we're able to simply push a button and able to deploy that drone to any call," said Sgt. Michael Cheek. "It will launch itself automatically and once it's up in the air at a certain height you can then take control of it and fly it to the GPS coordinates." Dunwoody police say they are the only agency in Georgia currently using the technology in this way. "We at the Dunwoody Police Department are the only agency in the state that has these drones in use and being used and deployed," said Cheek. Local perspective The drone is stationed on the roof of the Dunwoody Police Department and gives officers a bird's-eye view of active scenes. That aerial vantage point, according to police, improves response time and officer safety by helping assess threats, identify suspects, and determine if additional units are needed. "That bird's eye view allows us to see if we need additional resources," Cheek said. The department says the drone recently played a key role in apprehending a man wanted out of another jurisdiction. After Flock license plate readers flagged the suspect's car inside city limits, officers launched the drone to locate him from above. "Once they realized he didn't have a firearm on him, just a cellphone, they walked right up on him," said Cheek. From above, officers are able to make more informed decisions about how to approach a scene and whether to escalate their response. "It's been extremely valuable," Cheek added. Dunwoody Police call the drone a "flying first responder" and say it has already proven to be faster, safer, and smarter than traditional response methods. The Source The Dunwoody Police Department spoke with FOX 5's Denise Dillon for this story.
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Metro area law enforcement soon keeping watch from above thanks to drone program
We know cameras are watching us almost everywhere we go on the roads, even reading our license plates. Soon, law enforcement in the metro Atlanta area could be watching us from above. Channel 2′s Steve Gehlbach was in DeKalb County, where the Dunwoody Police Department is the first to launch new high-tech drones for public safety. 'These aren't the same drones we could buy, or other departments may take to a scene, there's a drone on the roof here that becomes a true first responder,' Dunwoody Police Sgt. Michael Cheek said. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] The drones liftoff from a launch pad and docking station on the roof of Dunwoody's city hall. For the police department, they're new eyes in the sky, controlled just two floors down in the department's real time crime center. 'We just have to have two miles of airspace visibility,' Cheek said. TRENDING STORIES: Georgia-based Flock Safety launches Smyrna drone facility Drugs, cigarettes and McDonald's sandwiches: Deputies bust duo accused of jail drone drops Metro Atlanta city limits when you can pass out flyers after anti-Semitic incidents The drone program, flying from the start of 2025, is a first in Georgia. It comes from Flock Safety as part of the company's new aviation sector. The company also cut the ribbon on a new drone manufacturing facility in Cobb County on Wednesday and the drones are fully integrated, from 911 to Flock cameras and tag readers. 'All these different things come together to work as one,' Cheek told Channel 2 Action News. While speaking with Gehlbach about the drone program, a call came in from just off Interstate 285. Within a minute of launching, the drone had an accident on the highway in its sights. The drone can even zoom in on accidents well before police arrive. It's not only faster, helping to cut down response times, but police said the drone is safer too. Last month, when officers were called to respond to a suspect firing a gun randomly in a busy shopping area, Dunwoody police deployed the drone as officers searched on the ground. The drone spotted the suspect, even seeing a distinct neck tattoo, and saw that it was a phone in his hand, not a gun. 'They handcuffed him, with zero incident,' Cheek said. And with complete stealth, the drone confirmed the identity from over 300 feet in the air, almost a quarter mile away. 'To have that kind of overwatch from that far away just absolutely changes the game with safety, and how e can execute something like that for the safety of us, civilians and him,' Cheek said. Soon, permits from the Federal Aviation Administration will allow them to fly the drone without having to have someone on the roof. Once that happens, they can launch the drones from inside, or any supervisor on patrol can fly and pilot the drone right from their patrol car. [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
Yahoo
28-03-2025
- Yahoo
DeKalb County to break ground on new real-time crime center
The DeKalb County government announced that, in addition to its new investments in police salaries and staffing, it'd be breaking ground on a real-time crime center on Friday. 'This is about leveraging technology to prevent and deter crime and quickly apprehend perpetrators,' County CEO Lorraine Cochran-Johnson said in a statement. 'We are building a tech-forward infrastructure that empowers officers with immediate intelligence, speeds up investigations, and improves community safety outcomes.' [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] According to the county, officials recently toured several centers in the metro Atlanta area, including the City of Atlanta's Loudermilk Video Integration Center, Cobb County's Real-Time Crime Center, and the Dunwoody Police Department Real-Time Crime Center to learn about their best practices and how they built out the necessary technology infrastructure. The county said the DeKalb County Real-Time Crime Technology will be a 'state-of-the-art facility that will centralize surveillance, data analysis, drone technology and emergency response coordination.' TRENDING STORIES: Man accused of trying to kidnap toddler at Acworth Walmart says he was just trying to help After school fight ends with young teenager dead, another taken into police custody Gwinnett police searching for non-verbal 5-year-old who disappeared near Lawrenceville 'This center will enhance how we capture, analyze, and act on real-time data,' William Jones, Chief Information Officer, said. 'We are building a tech-forward infrastructure that empowers officers with immediate intelligence, speeds up investigations, and improves community safety outcomes.' The new investment in crime-fighting technology follows several levels of salary increase for officers, based on position and experience: Police Recruits: $61,000 ($64,050 with degree) Police Officers: $62,525 ($65,651 with degree) Senior Officers: $70,000 ($73,500 with degree) Sergeants, Lieutenants, Captains, Majors, and others: 7.1% increase The salary increases took effect March 1. The county also recently held a hiring event for the police department, with 83 candidates applying. The county said 35 applicants moved forward and six others are in the process as well. A date for the groundbreaking has not yet been set. [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
