InTucker Magazine

On the Beat with Lt. Schoeppner – September 2020

Lt. D.G. Schoeppner is Tucker’s liaison to the DeKalb County Police Department and can be followed at facebook.com/dgschoeppner or emailed at dgschoeppner@dekalbcountyga.gov.

Panhandling is a constant problem throughout the metro Atlanta area. It is not uncommon for these folks to be standing at just about any exit ramp from the various interstates. This year your typical panhandling has morphed into the form of something else. This year you are very likely to see juveniles at intersections selling water. Many people see this as nothing more than a 21st century lemonade stand. This month we’re going to discuss why this isn’t such a good idea and why you should not support it.

On its face, it seems pretty harmless. Instead of getting into trouble, juveniles are channeling their energy into something entrepreneurial. They can go to a store, buy cases of water for relatively cheap and then sell them individually for quite a bit more. I’ve spoken to folks that say they can regularly triple their money or more. Just like traditional panhandling, they make pretty decent money for very little effort.

So why would the police be opposed to something that appears to be so positive? In short, because it’s incredibly dangerous. Even in the best of circumstances it is very difficult to get Atlanta traffic and pedestrians to cohabitate. Just last year, I witnessed a juvenile pedestrian get hit when they were trying to cross Lawrenceville Highway and Hugh Howell Road. Now just imagine someone whose attention is focused more on getting the attention of a potential customer, darting amongst traffic to make the sale, and then getting back. Then consider that young people already tend to make risky decisions. Finally, compound that with the drivers that may or may not be paying that much attention when they are stopped.

Now is when we get to the part where you all come in. The best thing you all can do is just not buy water from these young folks. The only reason they do it is because everyone else makes it worth their while. If the demand went away, they would move on to other, safer things. I know it seems mean. But unless something is done, it is only a matter of time before a young person is needlessly hurt or killed.