InTucker Magazine

On the Beat with Lt. Berg – November 2022

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.

Recently, I purchased a new cordless vacuum cleaner. Imagine my surprise when I opened the box and discovered something ancient – a written instruction manual. Finding a physical document is rare nowadays, with most information located on something the younger people call “the internet”. In addition to helping me put my new vacuum cleaner together, this amazing artifact prompted me to finally write on something I have been thinking about – an instruction manual for our police department.

Of course, our police department does have a significant online presence (dekalbcountyga.gov/police-services/welcome), which includes a helpful “Frequently Asked Questions” section. However, despite all the technology that the Department has invested in over the years, and despite all the news conferences and other outreach efforts by our incredible Public Education Specialists such as Mrs. Mann, there is still a good amount of ambiguity that surrounds when and how to utilize our police services.

The most basic question I still hear after all these years is “when should I call 911?” There is no right or wrong answer to this question. On most occasions, it may be obvious when to call us – after being involved in a traffic accident, finding a firearm lying in your front yard, discovering your car with a broken window and your laptop missing, etc. In other situations, it may not be clear that the police department should be notified. These situations can involve a myriad of encounters where the police may – or may not – be able to help.

One of the more frequent calls that our officers have responded to in recent years are those involving individuals suffering from mental health or substance abuse issues. While our officers are certainly not licensed “mental health professionals”, the good news is that the majority of us have received extensive training in helping in these very sad situations. As I mentioned in my February On the Beat article, the state-mandated Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) training course has provided our officers with a variety of tools and resources to help aid families with a loved one struggling to maintain their sanity or their sobriety. While we may not be the first or the best solution to help in these situations, our officers can and will respond with empathy and the knowledge to help if called upon.

Other situations where there is often some ambiguity and hesitation to call the police are ones involving “suspicious” individuals. Unfortunately, there is no clear definition of what is “suspicious”. What might be suspicious to one citizen may be totally innocuous or benign to another. Fortunately, our officers have received extensive training – beginning in our world-class police academy – to look at the totality of the situation when responding to a call of something or someone that has been deemed “suspicious”. The time of day, the location, any previous calls in the area, the behavior of the individual(s) and the officer’s own knowledge, training, and experience are all considered when determining if a subject or traffic stop is needed.

While our officers are required to respond to all 911 calls for service, the help they provide will vary based on a variety of factors. Most importantly, our officers are required to follow the guidelines provided for under the United States Constitution, all State and County laws, and our Departmental policies and procedures. My point is that if you are hesitant to call us because you feel that our officers are not capable or qualified to help, I would kindly disagree. Our Department has worked very hard over the years to improve in both our response times and in our officers’ abilities to provide effective solutions to the wide variety of calls they encounter

One final note about calling us. If you do find that you need to contact us, either by dialing “911” or through our non-emergency number (678-406-7929), please be sure to have several pieces of information handy. Most importantly, we need the location of the incident or situation you are calling about. While our emergency operators have access to “reverse 911” and other location-finding technologies, there are times when these technologies do not work. Just recently, there were several occasions when a citizen called 911 from a cell phone inside the City of Tucker and the call was routed to the Gwinnett County 911 Center – due to the caller’s proximity to the county line. If a caller is unable to provide an exact address to the emergency operator, whether inside or outside the City, this could result in a delayed police response. Please know your location, or least give a recognizable landmark like Mathews!

In next month’s On the Beat, I will continue to “instruct” the citizens of Tucker on how to best utilize our Department. In the meantime, if you feel the need to call us, please do not hesitate. Once dispatched, our officers will respond as quickly as possible with an empathetic and knowledgeable resolution. Now, if you just need someone to vacuum your home, please call me here at Tucker Precinct…