Teen Driving Course To Be Offered in Powder Springs

The free course will be offered April 15 at the Powder Springs Police Department. Attendees must register before attending.

From a Powder Springs Police Department news release Changes in the TADRA Law for teen drivers put parents squarely in the passenger’s seat. It requires that anyone who applies for a permanent driver’s license have a parent, legal guardian or responsible adult sign a verification form affirming that the candidate has completed 40 hours (with six hours at night) of supervised driving experience, if the candidate has successfully completed an approved driver education course. Most parents don’t feel prepared, or may not know what they need to do, to supervise a new teen driver behind the wheel. But parental involvement is key to reducing teen crashes and fatalities. Teens want the practice time so they can get their license, but need to know…

• Photos (1)

More Gun Safety Seminars Planned [VIDEO]

The Powder Springs Police Department held its first gun safety seminar last month. Officials are discussing offering the program again later this year.

Residents who could not make it to the Feb. 21 gun safety seminar put on by the Powder Springs Police Department may have a chance to attend one later this year. The free class, held at Tapp Middle School, was the first to be offered by the department. According to Maj. Matt Boyd, spokesman for the department, the event drew an estimated 65 to 70 attendees—a turnout officials deemed a success. Topics discussed during the seminar included gun safety rules, Georgia weapons carrying laws, gun storage options and non-lethal means of self-defense. “Our hope [with the seminar] is not only to increase awareness regarding gun safety, but to bridge the relationship between citizens and the police,” Boyd said. Boyd added that the department intends …

• Videos (1)

Powder Springs Offering Citizen Police Academy

The class will meet each Tuesday night beginning in March, and there is no cost to attend.

The Powder Springs Police Department will host a Citizen Police Academy starting March 5.  Classes will meet for two hours each Tuesday and cover topics like domestic violence, firearm safety, ride-a-long with an officer, radar/laser, K-9, criminal investigations and a tour of the Cobb County Jail and the Cobb 911 Center. Applicants must be at least 18 years of age, sign a waiver, and pass a criminal history background check. There is no cost to attend the academy. Those interested in the program can print an application by going to the City of Powder Springs’ web page (www.cityofpowdersprings.org) and clicking on the link to the police department.  For more information or to obtain an application by mail, call 770-943-1616. 

• Photos (1)

Free Gun Safety Seminar Tonight

The Powder Springs Police Department is putting on the 7 p.m. event at Tapp Middle School. Attendees should not bring firearms or any other weapons to the event.

Powder Springs PD To Host Gun Safety Seminar

The police department aims to provide tips and training to residents who wish to own a firearm.

The Powder Springs Police Department will hold an event later this month to arm citizens with knowledge of gun safety and more. The department is hosting a free gun safety seminar Thursday, Feb. 21, at 7 p.m. in the auditorium of Tapp Middle School in Powder Springs. This event is aimed at civilians and will focus on firearm safety, Georgia’s gun laws and the use of alternative weapons. According to a news release Tuesday, department officials say they are holding the event due to a “dramatic increase in the public’s escalating desire to learn more about gun safety.” The goal of the event is to provide tips and training to residents who wish to own a firearm so they will have the necessary skills to be safe.  A similar event held recently …

• Photos (1)

Powder Springs Woman Seriously Injured in Crash

The Powder Springs and Cobb County police departments continue to investigate Tuesday’s crash on C.H. James Parkway and seek anyone with information on it.

Powder Springs Police and the Cobb County Police Department’s Selective Traffic Enforcement Program Unit are investigating a serious injury crash that occurred on C.H. James Parkway Tuesday. According to a news release Wednesday, investigators say a gray 2001 Mazda Tribute was traveling east on C.H. James Parkway just west of Florence Road. For reasons unknown, the driver lost control of his vehicle and crossed over the center lane and entered into the westbound travel lanes and collided with a blue 1996 Chevrolet Impala. The Impala’s driver, identified as 47-year-old Penny A. Mitchell of Powder Springs, was transported by ambulance to Atlanta Medical Center for serious injuries she sustained in the crash. The Mazda’s driver, 50-year-old …

• Photos (1)

Students Graduate from Powder Springs Police's Citizen Academy

“We are just very proud to have established a relationship with these members," Chief Charlie Sewell said.

The first Citizen Police Academy under Powder Springs police Chief Charlie Sewell is in the books. “It’s very exciting for me to host a Citizen Police Academy,” he said, “and the results of this academy were everything I expected.” Graduation for the 11-week program was held last Tuesday, and the 11 graduates were given certificates from Mayor Pat Vaughn, City Council members, Sewell, and the program’s coordinator, Lt. Julie Collins. Twelve people—who either live, work or frequently travel through the city—started the program in mid-August, but one person had to drop out because of health reasons. The aim was to teach citizens police operations firsthand through lectures, field trips and simulated activities.  Sewell said the students will…

• Photos (2)

2 Powder Springs Burglars Caught in Separate Incidents

Police arrested a 13-year-old on Ten Oaks Circle on Monday, and a 19-year-old on Mistymorn Lane on Wednesday.

Powder Springs police caught two burglars this week—one arrested afterward, the other in the act. On Monday, a woman called police after she saw someone walk behind a neighboring house on Ten Oaks Circle, and return with a weed eater and extension cord. Witnesses helped police discover that a 13-year-old boy from the neighborhood was the culprit, according to a news release from the department. When police tried to take him into custody, he took off but was captured shortly after on charges of burglary and obstruction of officers, the release says. The weed eater and cord were given back to the owner. On Wednesday, a resident of Mistymorn Lane called after witnessing three “suspicious people” enter a nearby home. Police arrived in the 4000…

• Photos (1)

Powder Springs Police Blotter

Crime Map: Powder Springs Councilman's Work Truck Broken Into

Other police incidents from Oct. 8-17 include a man being arrested for firing a gun to scare off an unwanted guest, and a woman hitting a Kroger employee with her purse while attempting to shoplift.

Editor's Note: Accounts of these incidents are based on Oct. 8-17 reports from Powder Springs police and what those involved tell police. The numbers match up with the incident locations on the above map. When: Oct. 9 Where: 3200 block of Kipling Drive, Powder Springs Powder Springs Councilman Al Thurman, owner of Superior Landscape, said that while his box truck had mechanical issues, it was parked in the driveway of an abandoned Kipling Drive home. While there, someone opened the rear door of the truck and removed several items: two weedeaters, an edger, a hedge trimmer, two backpack blowers, and a pole tree trimmer. The items totaled an estimated $2,375. Fingerprints couldn’t be lifted. When: Oct. 9, between 3 and 9:30 p.m. Where: 4100 …

• Photos (1)

Powder Springs Police Name Employee of the Month

Shannon Slay received the award for August.

Powder Springs Police Department Don’t miss any of the local news you care about. Subscribe to West Cobb Patch’s free newsletter, like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

• Photos (1)