Video: Patch Rides Along with Police

Each  officer has been asked by Chief Charlie Sewell to to at least four citizens a month as they're patrolling.

The information on the sheets—like how to protect your belongings from thieves—is only part of their purpose. They also encourage officers to talk with residents and, with help from the Cobb County 911 Communications Center, keep track of where the force is patrolling.

When officers give them to citizens, they radio to Cobb 911 stating their location. Those locations are then logged and, if someone calls wondering why they haven't seen a patrol car, police can check to see if they've been on that street recently.

"For instance," Sgt. Jody Matthews said, "if we've been in a neighborhood and a citizen calls and complains because they haven't seen the police ... the chief can in turn contact dispatch and pull up a history" of where officers handed out the tip sheets.

Another bit of information on the sheets is how to request that your house be checked on while you're out of town—that can be done by simply calling the department at 770-943-1616.