Thanks to a new partnership between the Roswell Police Department and CrimeReports.com, residents will now be able to access a map of the city to help them track criminal activity within their local community.

“Providing reliable, timely information to our citizens is one of our top priorities,” Roswell Police Chief Ed Williams said in a press release. “Partnering with CrimeReports.com gives us the ability to keep the public informed on a regular basis as to what is going on in the community.”

CrimeReports.com has become the largest network of maps and up-to-date crime tracking information since its inception during 2008, according to the statistics. Citizens in areas that subscribe to the service are able to access the map to see exactly where crime has happened locally. The intricate system also displays accurate summaries of the kinds of crime that have occurred. For instance, if you click on the little blue box with a “T” in it that is hovering over the corner of Alpharetta Highway and Crossville Road, you will be informed of a theft which took place there on Mar. 16.

But how does this information help the average citizen?

“CrimeReports.com provides a transparency of crime information between police and the public; so it clarifies the facts and helps the public stay better informed, hopefully promoting safer neighborhoods,” said Jenny Sass, a representative with CrimeReports.com.

Currently there are over 700 police agencies which subscribe to CrimeReports.com, including Los Angeles County, San Jose, Boston, Baltimore and Washington, D.C. The service is paid for by local police departments (Roswell pays $127 per month), so there is no direct cost to residents when they access the site.

Though proven statistics on a direct link between CrimeReports.com and a reduction in crime is still unavailable, Sass believes in the system.

“A better informed public can use preventative measures to avoid future crime in their neighborhoods,” she said.

The system also provides an internal tool for police agencies called Command Central, which allows personnel to analyze crime trends and better assist troubled areas.

Roswell citizens can utilize the site at: www.roswellgov.com/crimereports, or by downloading the CrimeReports iPhone[iTunes Link] app from the Apple iTunes store.

Georgia.com Staff Report

Based on the numbers by the U.S. BLS, Georgia now stands at 10.9% unemployment. U.S. BLS last updated on March 10, 2010. It should be noted that the figures provided by the U.S. BLS put Georgia at an additional 0.5% increase in unemployment from the Georgia Department of Labor’s report for January 2010 which had unemployment at 10.4%.

If there is a silver lining to unemployment rates then it might be that Georgia is faring better than our neighbors, with South Carolina leading with 13.2% unemployment.

Throughout Georgia districts are peppered with vacant buildings, rundown areas and seemingly forgotten residents – all victims of the recession. But Marietta, on a mission to slow deterioration and restore pride in the city, has made at least one step toward revitalization with its March 1 purchase of the Preston Chase apartment complex.

Upon reiterated requests from citizens, the Marietta City Council proceeded with the purchase of the apartment complex for $2.5 million in order to expand its park system over the course of the next year. The acquisition was a good investment on the part of the city considering the complex was originally foreclosed upon at $7.5 million.

The city has been looking to invest in its park system for a while. In November a $25 million parks and recreation bond was passed by voters. The Preston Chase purchase will be one of the first projects undertaken with the bonded funds.

Actual plans for the 13.19-acre property are still up in the air, said Parks and Recreation Director Rich Buss.

“There are no specific plans for the property at this time,” he said. “A citizens committee is at work to make recommendations as to how that [bond] money will be used. The use of that property will be somewhat determined by how we utilize other properties we own or may acquire.”

Initial thoughts on how the property should be used run the gamut. Since the property sits adjacent to another city-owned greenspace, it may be used as a trail to connect Kennesaw Mountain with the Chattahoochee River. City Attorney, Doug Haynie, has also mentioned that the city has the option to sell off a portion of the property for commercial use.

A running list of ideas on how improve the city’s park system can be found on the citizen’s advisory blog. Suggestions on how to use the bonded funds include the installation of a new recycling center, a community garden, a skateboard park and a new athletic facility. Some of those ideas may be feasible for the Preston Chase property.

According to City Manager Bill Bruton in a city press release, the city plans to demolish the existing complex sometime during the fall or winter. Work on the actual property is expected to begin during 2011 sometime.

Currently, 88 of the 200 units are occupied, Ray Buday, executive director of the Marietta Housing Authority, told Georgia.com in an e-mail.

“There are no new move-ins, of course,” he added.

The housing authority will manage the apartments until they are demolished.

To make suggestions on how the space should be used, visit the Citizen’s Advisory for Marietta Parks blog.

Georgia.com Staff Report

All of Georgia’s 13 metropolitan areas, minus Warner-Robins, have reported a loss of jobs between January 2009 and January 2010. With Dalton being effected the most with 2,900 lost jobs. Overall Georgia lost 152,000 jobs last year, which equals a 3.9 percent decline according to Georgia Department of Labor.

The U.S. Labor Department’s jobs report is released this Friday, which could shed more light on the subject. However, according to AP reports, the last two weekly jobless claims have shown surprise jumps in unemployment filings, suggesting the economy may not be improving as much as we are led to believe.

When will we begin to see a recovery? How are you effected by the current state of the economy in Georgia? What do you think is the solution for Georgia to begin its recovery?

Deep down I know the majority of this is politics…the left, although they won’t admit it, do not like business/industry (and why should they? Heck, who needs jobs and money to pay bills and eat?) and the right, well, let’s just say that environmental issues are as important to the majority of them as the Sabbath is to Bill Maher.

Statistics, numbers…these are the only things that should matter when doing an impartial analysis of climate change (and, I might add, accurate statistics, which unfortunately we cannot even trust these days due to ideologues “cooking the books” so to speak in order to forward their agenda…bummer). That being said…who knows if the numbers we see can even be taken seriously.

Anyways, as my time is precious, I did not research the past 20 or 30 or 40 years…I decided instead to look at the climate on certain dates over the last 5 years. Seeing as “we don’t have much time” to save ourselves from this looming crisis, I figured the “problem” has only drastically increased over this period of time if there is, indeed, a problem. I looked at the dates January 1, April 1, July 1 and October 1 from the years 2005-2009 as well as January 1 of 2010 using the Georgia Automated Environmental Monitoring Network (www.georgiaweather.net) for the city of Atlanta. I took the high and low of each date and then used the average temperature…I figured this was a straightforward and common sense method that everyone can look at and understand. Is this a scientific study of the earth’s climate? No.

These are my findings…

I’m not going to try and draw a conclusion from these numbers, nor should you. I just wanted to take a look at where I live and see how the temperature has progressed these past 5 years. Are we really in the dire situation most environmentalists say we are? I’ve heard a lot on this issue from both sides of the aisle, from intelligent and passionate argument to downright moronic nonsense…but, the winner of the “most illogical” award goes to..drum roll…”the reason it is getting colder out is because of global warming!!” Really? Wow.

You want my opinion, Georgians? Do your own research, look at both sides, use common sense…you’ll figure out if you need to trade your SUV in for a Prius. Believe it or not, “the sky is falling” types have been around since the beginning of time…we’re all still here…just sayin.

Readers should note: Author is not a climatologist (although he did take a climate class in college!), he wants to live on a clean planet and drink clean water, he does not want himself or his future children or grandchildren to live in 150 degree weather, he loves the private sector and he did not invent the internet.

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The result of the laws has been evident with recent and upcoming motion picture releases. Box office successes and critically acclaimed movies like The Blind Side and Zombieland, both released in 2009, were entirely or partly filmed here in Georgia. The remake of George A. Romero’s horror movie The Crazies, which opens this weekend, has parts of Cordele, Fort Valley, Macon, Montezuma, and Perry, Georgia posing as a small town in Iowa infested with a virus that makes people crazy. Get Low (starring Robert Duvall and Bill Murray) and Killers (starring Ashton Kutcher and Katherine Heigl), which are both scheduled for summer 2010 release dates, were mostly shot in Georgia. A new Farrelly Brothers comedy, starring Owen Wilson, is just about to start shooting in Atlanta and possibly other Georgia locations and is scheduled for a 2011 release. The brothers have directed such comedy classics like There’s Something About Mary, Shallow Hal, and Dumb and Dumber.

Georgia has made entertainment production very cost effective for companies. Do not be surprised to see more and more “Made in Georgia” films, TV shows, commercials, animations, and video game creations in the near and distant future.