InTucker Magazine

On the Beat with Lt. Schoeppner

On October 21, I took over Tucker Liaison duty from Lieutenant R.S. Smith. He had been DeKalb P.D.’s representative to Tucker since it first became a City and, from what I’m told, he was well-liked by all. Having said that, I understand that I have some pretty big shoes to fill. My first step in filling those shoes is to tell you all a little about myself.

I’m originally from a small town in western Pennsylvania named Oil City. After graduating high school in 1992, I enlisted in the Army and then attended the University of Pittsburgh. In 1996, I had the opportunity to move to Atlanta. The first five years I lived in Atlanta, I worked in the IT field. In 2001, I was laid off from my tech job and figured I would try my hand at law enforcement.

The first five years I worked for DeKalb P.D. as a patrolman in Center Precinct. In 2006, I was selected to become a detective in the Major Felony Unit. Major Felony handled homicides, armed robberies and other felony crimes against persons. Toward the end of 2010, I had the opportunity to work in the Pawn Unit. This unit is important because criminals frequently try to use pawn shops to fence stolen items.

In 2011, I was promoted to Sergeant and assigned to North Precinct. I worked Evening Watch there for two years before going back to Major Felony, which had turned into a dedicated homicide unit. I spent two more years there as a supervisor before transferring to South Precinct, where I was able to supervise the property crimes detectives there.

This past June, I was promoted to Lieutenant and moved over from supervising the detectives at South Precinct to being in charge of its Morning Watch (third shift). That brings us to the present, when I had the opportunity to take the position of Tucker Liaison Officer.

As you can see, I have been able to hold a variety of positions within DeKalb P.D. This has given me a broad range of experience in investigating crimes from murders to thefts. This has also given me the chance to make contacts with many people within Dekalb County, as well as other law enforcement agencies. My hope is that I can put all of this to use to help DeKalb serve the citizens of Tucker to the best of its ability.

Help Support “Santa Cop“

DeKalb’s Fraternal Order of Police will hold their annual ‘Santa Cop’ event on December 9.If you would like to donate to help children in need go shopping with police officers this holiday season, you can make donations online at dekalbfop.org.

Police Blotter

Quick Response – On October 25, Officer Mealor was dispatched to a suspicious person call on Idlewood Road. While responding, the call was changed to a burglary in progress. An 11-year-old girl reported that an intruder had broken into her home. Upon arriving, Officer Mealor observed the suspect running from the juvenile’s house. After a short chase, the suspect was taken into custody and was eventually charged with burglary.

Voices Carry – On November 9, the Tucker Precinct FIT Team received a tip of drug activity at the Rodeway Inn on Mountain Industrial Blvd. When officers went to the location to investigate, they overheard the suspects talking about their drug sales. Officer used this information to obtain search warrants for the suspects’ room. During the execution of these warrants they located cocaine, crystal meth and a handgun.