Officer Arrest Felony Shoplifterrs

On Saturday May 23, 2015, just after 1030 pm., Officers responded to The Children’s Place Department Store located in the Canton Market Place Shopping Center off Cumming Hwy.  Patrol Officers were advised the call was in reference to the report of shoplifting in progress with four (4) suspects still on scene.  Upon unit’s arrival, the suspect(s) fled on foot toward a vehicle that was obviously waiting to pick them up to leave the scene.  Patrol Officers worked as a team to detain the suspects before they escaped, obtained clerk statements from the store locations and located/recovered the stolen merchandise that was taken during the shoplifting incidents. 

Once back at the Police Department, these Officers processed several thousand dollars worth of the stolen items, located a firearm in one (1) of the suspect’s book bags and found suspected marijuana in one (1) of the other suspect’s belongings.  These alert Officers with the assistance of the Sheriff’s Office and Facebook, detected that two (2) of the suspects had lied about their age as they originally advised they were juveniles.  In the end, all of the subjects, three (3) males and one (1) female were charged with Felony shoplifting and various other drug, false information and weapons charges.

Canton Police Chief Mark Mitchell stated, "This was truly a team effort, I am proud of our hard working Officers and commend the diligent store clerks who assisted us during this incident."  He added, "I also want to thank the Sheriff's Office for helping us to identify the suspects who were less than truthful with our Officers during this investigation."  It takes collaborative efforts like this to continue to improve the quality of life for our community."   

Arrested:

Laquanda Allen, 27 yrs. old
Deonte Almond, 18 yrs. old
Veonia Hixson, 22 yrs. old
Cedriona Johnson, 18 yrs. old

All are reported to be from Atlanta.

Canton Police Work Projects Update

It is hard to believe that it is already May and summer is upon us.  I would like to take a moment to share an update on a few of our work projects for this year.  We just finished our agency’s first Health and Wellness Program which promotes not only physical fitness but also assists Officers to manage stress and nutrition.  I am very proud of our Officers because they all worked very hard to complete the program.  Our men and women were able to assess their fitness levels which enabled them to set future fitness goals.  I watched as our Officers motivated each other which created a very good sense of comradery among the ranks.

In addition, members of our organization participated in this year’s first Town Hall Meeting at the Mt. Zion Church off Crisler Street in East Canton.  Officers and citizens participated in spirited discussions and open dialogue about the current climate in our nation regarding law enforcement and the communities they serve.  That night was very informative for us and those in attendance.  We have a lot of work and follow up to do during the course of this year, but I really think we have started on the right track and we are headed in the right direction with the goal of building trust with our citizenry.  Our Officers have followed up with the community concerns and issues relayed to us that evening and we are seeing the benefits of the positive interaction.

We have really worked hard this year to increase and improve communication with the public through social media where information is mainly placed on the agency’s Facebook Page.  Our Community Outreach Officer has received many compliments from our Facebook members about the growth and use of our page.  I want to thank you for your words of encouragement.  We will continue to work hard to improve our outflow of information to you and ask for you to provide us with vital feedback on ways that we can enhance this very important tool of communication. 

In closing, we will continue to work diligently this summer to engage with the community through positive neighborhood interactive patrols, an increased presence of our bike officers throughout the City, and continued proactive operations to reduce crime in identified areas of concern in an effort to reduce criminal activity.  We take our role of service to our community seriously.  Our team of hard working men and women pledge through our core values of professionalism, integrity, honor, trust, excellence and courage to protect our citizens every day with the goal of improving the quality of life in our community. 

Please don’t hesitate to provide the vital feedback we need to improve our service to the City of Canton.

I pray everyone has a very safe Memorial Day weekend as we honor those who have paid the ultimate price for our freedom.    

Respectfully,

Mark J. Mitchell

Chief of Police

Bomb Threat

Update: Friday, May 8, 2015 at approximately 11:00 am the Department of Juvenile Jstice (DJJ)  building was searched and no explosive device was found.  The building is now open for business.
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On Friday, May 8, 2015 at approximately 10:00 am a bomb threat was called into Department of Family and Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ), located at 220 Brown Industrial Blvd.Canton Ga.

Canton Fire and Police responded and have notified Hasty Elementary and local businesses. They have established a command center and are following bomb threat protocol.

Further information will be distributed when available.