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Entering autos is up across Brookhaven, and the pattern is painfully consistent: unlocked doors, valuables in plain sight, and an opportunity that took seconds to take. BPD has been using technology to help track and solve these crimes, and it's making a difference. But technology can only do so much after the fact. The best tool we have right now is you.

We know life gets busy. You're running into the house for "just a second." You're parked in your own driveway in your own neighborhood. You've done it a hundred times and nothing happened. We get it.

But right now, someone in Brookhaven is counting on that mindset. They're moving through neighborhoods looking for the unlocked door, the laptop on the seat, the bag on the floorboard. It takes them less time to take it than it took you to park.

Our officers are out there. Our technology is working. Cases are being solved. But here's the truth we want you to sit with: technology works best after something happens. What we need is to stop it from happening in the first place.

That's where you come in.

This week, we're asking every Brookhaven resident to do three things: lock your doors, take your valuables, and say something if you see something. Not because we're alarmed. Because we're smart. And because this community has always shown up when it counts.

Let's not give anyone an easy target.

– Brookhaven Police Department

This week, we're talking about three things happening right here in Brookhaven that are connected by one thread: choices that feel small in the moment and can cost everything.

The Prescription Problem

Most people don't think of prescription drugs as a public safety issue, until they are. According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's 2024 national report, nearly 13.8 million Americans misused prescription drugs last year. And here's the part that surprises most people: more than 42% of those cases involved people misusing their own prescriptions — not someone else's. SingleCareNCDAS

The most commonly misused medications are ones many of us have sitting in our medicine cabinets right now: pain relievers, sedatives, stimulants, and tranquilizers. Many misused prescription drugs come directly from the home and often from unused medications left in medicine cabinets. That makes your cabinet a risk factor, not just a storage space. Drugs.com

Here's what you can do today:

You don't have to wait for a special event. Over 16,500 pharmacies, hospitals, and businesses offer year-round medication drop-off, and many police departments provide drop boxes as well. Go to dea.gov/everyday-takeback-day and search your zip code to find the nearest location. It's free, anonymous, and takes five minutes. If no drop-off is accessible, mix medications with coffee grounds, dirt, or cat litter, seal them in a bag, and discard them in the trash — never flush them down the drain. DEA

Clean out your cabinet this week. Someone you love will never know you did it. That's the point.

Let's Clear This Up: Marijuana Is Still Illegal in Georgia

With legalization headlines coming from other states, we hear this question more than you might think: "Isn't marijuana legal now?"

Not in Georgia. As of 2025, recreational marijuana use remains illegal in Georgia, and possession — no matter how small the amount — can still lead to arrest, fines, and jail time. While federal policy shifts may signal changing attitudes toward marijuana, Georgia law continues to treat possession and distribution as criminal offenses. HsflawfirmTheozerlawfirm

Georgia does have a limited medical program, but it only allows registered patients to possess low-THC cannabis oil with 5% THC or less. That's it. No flower. No edibles. No smoking. And your out-of-state card or Florida dispensary purchase does not protect you here. AI Free Forever

In 2025, 10,743 Georgians were arrested for marijuana possession. We're not sharing that to scare you — we're sharing it because we don't want you or anyone you care about to become that number over something that could have been avoided. MPP

When in doubt, know the law where you live.

The Ride Is Cheaper Than You Think

Every day, about 32 people in the United States die in drunk-driving crashes. That's one person every 44 minutes. In Georgia specifically, there were 19,495 DUI convictions in 2024, the highest annual total since 2019, and the state reported 507 alcohol-related traffic deaths, representing roughly 28% of all traffic fatalities statewide. NHTSABowenpainter

Those are not strangers. Those are people who left a dinner, a cookout, a celebration and didn't make it home.

We are not here to lecture anyone about whether to drink. We are here to ask one thing: if you drink, don't drive. Full stop. Call a friend. Call an Uber. Call a Lyft. Call us if you have to. Many drivers underestimate the effects of "just a few drinks" or feel pressured to drive instead of finding a sober ride and that decision happens in seconds. Bowenpainter

The ride home costs less than $20. A DUI in Georgia can cost upward of $10,000 in fines, legal fees, and lost wages. A life lost has no price tag at all.

Plan before you pour. The call you make before you leave could be the most important one you make all night.

Last year, the Brookhaven Police Teen Academy filled so fast we had teens waiting on the sideline. That's not a complaint, that's a community telling us something. Brookhaven's young people want to be in the room. They want to see behind the badge. They want to know how this works.

So we're making it happen again, and we want your teenager there.

From July 20 through July 24, ages 13 to 19 are invited to spend a week at 1793 Briarwood Road, right here at BPD headquarters, rom 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. each day. This is not a lecture series. This is hands-on, behind-the-scenes, step-into-our-world experience built specifically for teens. Every session was designed with their age group in mind, and every day brings something different.

Here's a taste of what's on the schedule: Patrol Operations, the First Responder Drone Unit, Traffic Safety, the Canine Unit, Criminal Investigations, Crime Scene, live Scenarios and Simulators, and off-site field trips still to be announced. If you've ever watched a crime show and wondered how it actually works in real life, this is your week to find out.

The academy builds leadership, develops teamwork, and gives teens a genuine look at what real-life policing looks like from the inside. And it's completely free.

Last year, we had more teens who wanted in than we had seats to give. This year is no different. Seats are limited, and we expect them to go fast.

If you have a teenager between 13 and 19, don't wait. Scan the QR code on the flyer, or reach out directly to Officer Angela Hawkins at ][email protected] to get registered.

This is one week that could change how your teen sees their community and how they see themselves in it.

Earlier in this issue, we talked about what adults should be doing with substances. Now let's talk about what's getting to our kids and what we can do to stop it.

The Vape Problem Is Closer Than You Think

Those small, colorful, fruit-scented devices your teen may be trying to hide in their hoodie pocket are not harmless. E-cigarettes are the most commonly used tobacco product among middle and high school students in the United States, with 1.63 million youth currently vaping as of 2024. And the way they are marketed is deliberate. Nearly 90% of young users prefer flavored e-cigarettes — fruit, candy, mint, dessert flavors designed to go down easy and keep kids coming back. CDCEssay Hub

Here is what the law says, clearly: the sale of e-cigarettes to anyone under the age of 21 is prohibited. That applies to every store, every gas station, every online seller. If your teenager has a vape, someone broke the law to get it to them or another person did it for them. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Youth who vape are 3 to 4 times more likely to go on to smoke tobacco than teens who do not vape, and nicotine at that age directly harms the parts of the developing brain that control attention, learning, mood, and impulse control. This is not a phase. This is a health risk that compounds. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

What you can do:

Check in with your teenager, not to interrogate, but to have an honest conversation. Know the brands. The most commonly used among teens right now are Elf Bar, Breeze, and Mr. Fog. Know what they look like. And if your teen is already vaping and wants to stop, more than half of middle and high school students who currently vape want to quit and have tried to quit. Help them find that support. Their doctor is a good first call. CDC

Underage Drinking: The Party Starts at Home

Most parents assume their teenager is getting alcohol from parties or older friends. That is sometimes true. But research consistently shows that a significant number of underage drinkers get their first drink from inside their own home — from an unsecured cabinet, an unfinished bottle left on the counter, or an adult who thought one drink wouldn't hurt.

Here is what we ask every Brookhaven household to do:

Secure your alcohol the same way you secure anything else you would not hand to a teenager. That means knowing what you have, knowing where it is, and making sure access requires an adult. If you are hosting a gathering, designate someone to monitor what is being poured and who is around. And after the party is over, do not leave open bottles accessible at eye level or in reach.

The conversation matters too. Research consistently shows that teens who have open, honest conversations with a trusted adult about alcohol are less likely to drink early. You do not have to lecture. You just have to talk.

The Smallest Ones Are the Most Vulnerable

This one is for every household with a young child and for grandparents, aunts, uncles, and caregivers who have little ones visiting.

More than 60,000 children are treated in emergency departments every year due to accidental medication ingestion. Toddlers in particular move fast and are intensely curious. A pill left on a nightstand, a purse left open, a medicine cabinet at reachable height that is all it takes. In a recent reporting period, 44% of prescription opioid exposure cases reported to poison control centers involved children under the age of 5. AsthealthNCDAS

The fix is simple, and it costs nothing:

Store all medications, including vitamins, supplements, and over-the-counter drugs in a high, locked, or child-resistant location. This includes medications in your purse or bag when guests visit. Put them away before small children arrive, not after. And if you ever suspect a child has swallowed something they should not have, do not wait to see what happens. Call Poison Control immediately at 1-800-222-1222. They are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and they will tell you exactly what to do.

Your medicine cabinet is not childproof by default. Make it that way on purpose.

If you are interested in volunteering or would like Brookhaven Police to join one of your events or engagements, please feel free to contact us at [email protected]

Dates: June 22, 2026
Time: 6:30pm - 8:00pm
Location: Westminster Presbyterian Church, 1438 Sheridan Rd.

At this town hall meeting, the Georgia Department of Transportation will attend to provide updates on their projects in the City of Brookhaven. 

Topics to be discussed include:

Plus, many other City and district updates.

Dates: July 20-24 2026
Time: 9:00am - 3:00pm
Location: Brookhaven Police Dept. 1793 Briarwood Rd

The academy builds leadership, develops teamwork, and gives teens a genuine look at what real-life policing looks like from the inside. And it's completely free.

Download our Brookhaven Police App to stay in the know while you are on the go.

Nobody plans for things to go wrong. That is the part we forget.

Nobody leaves a pill bottle on the counter thinking a toddler might reach it. Nobody pours a drink thinking it will be the one that changes everything. These moments do not announce themselves. They happen fast, in the space between "it'll be fine" and "I can't believe this happened."

That is exactly why the conversations we sometimes put off matter most. Talk to your kids, not when something goes wrong, but now. Tonight. On the ride home. Ask what they are seeing. Ask what they are feeling. You do not need a script. You just need to show up.

And hold yourself accountable too. Lock the car. Drop off the old prescriptions. Call the Uber. Secure the cabinet. Small acts. Minutes of your time. The difference between a close call and a life changed forever.

Brookhaven has always been strongest when we move together. Take care of yourselves. Take care of each other. And take care of the little ones counting on us to get this right.

We are in this together.

— The Brookhaven Police Department

Have a Question? We’ve Got Answers!

We covered a lot of ground this week and we want to hear from you.

What is one conversation you have been putting off having with someone you love?

Maybe it is talking to your teenager about vaping. Maybe it is asking a friend to call you before they drive home. Maybe it is finally cleaning out the medicine cabinet you have been meaning to get to for months.

Whatever it is, this week is the week. And if you want to share it with us, we want to hear it. Reply to this email or reach out at [email protected]. Your response might just be the thing that encourages someone else to have that same conversation.

Got a question? Submit it here, and we might feature it in the next issue!

The Brookhaven Police Department is committed to staying connected with the community we serve.

Follow us for updates, safety information, and community events throughout the year.

Together, we can continue building a safer Brookhaven.